Like The Sand
by Senka Hitomi
Summary: With war approaching, the Kazekage has quite a bit to handle. But when an old acquaintance returns to Suna, will she turn Gaara's world on its head? "At least you have someone who cares about you. That always makes the hardships more bearable."
1. Return to Sunagakure

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters... that honor belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Airi Saito, however, is my own invention._

* * *

Sabuku no Gaara examined the growing stack of papers on his desk, his bright green eyes skipping over the words. Though he was aware he should be giving more thought to the matters outlined in front of him, the paperwork held no interest for him today.

He glanced out of the window of his office, gazing upon the buildings of Sunagakure. The air resonated with silence, only occasionally broken by a cry from outside the window, the frustration of a young Shinobi attempting to learn a new technique.

It was peaceful today, he realized. The people of the village were going about their lives as if nothing was brewing just on the horizon, as if there wasn't a war coming. Maybe some of them didn't even know.

Innocent people, who could be shoved aside and massacred by the ambitions of the remnants of the Uchiha clan.

The thought of it made him sick. They give you power, and you still can't protect anyone.

Pulling himself away from the window, Gaara sat down, facing the endless stack of work. He took the first one off the pile, and began to read.

This was going to be a long day.

He was only about halfway down the page of the most ridiculous petition he had ever read, when someone knocked on the door of his office, before throwing the door wide open and striding in anyways.

Temari crossed her arms, smiling down at her little brother. "You told me to knock last time, so I did."

"It defeats the purpose if you simply come in anyway." Gaara noted wryly through gritted teeth, continuing to read.

Doing paperwork was already not the most riveting of tasks especially when he had other matters on his mind, but his sister's intrusion was an unneeded hindrance.

"Did you need something, Temari?"

Temari gave him a skeptical look. "I came to inform you that you have a visitor."

This was enough to draw his attention. He glanced up at her, green eyes inscrutable.

"Actually, I noted that, considering you just about took my door off its hinges."

"Not _me_," she sighed exasperatedly. "She's waiting outside. Should I tell her to come back later? Seems like you're busy."

"No, just send her in," Gaara excluded the second part of what he had been thinking: 'since I've already been interrupted' and looked back down at his paperwork, signing off on a more reasonable petition than the first before moving on to the next one.

Temari stomped out of his office, leaving a faint breeze blowing behind her. It rustled a few papers on the top of the pile, sending them spinning across the room. Gaara mumbled under his breath, making a mental note to put better locks on his doors sometime in the near future.

He stood, about to attempt to catch the papers, but was surprised to find that someone already had. A slender hand placed them back on his desk, neatly stacked.

"Thank you for taking the time to see me, Kazekage-sama. I know you must be working on quite a tight schedule."

His visitor was certainly not what Gaara had expected.

The kunoichi was of average height, dressed in a simple white tunic and crimson leggings, with what normally served as a forehead protector instead worn around her waist, the symbol of Suna etched into it. Her skin was surprisingly fair, as though she hadn't seen much sun recently, though her honey colored hair was highlighted with streaks of gold that were obviously natural. Her hair was cut short around her chin, framing a thin face, and her bangs fell at a slant, almost obscuring the view of one eye. The one that could be glimpsed was a deep indigo, almost purple.

A spark of recognition ran through Gaara, but he gave no sign of it.

The girl stood firmly, not fidgeting, but her gaze was downcast.

'Remnants of the fear my father caused,' Gaara considered.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm not honestly sure, Kazekage-sama," she answered, swallowing what might have been a laugh. It passed too quickly for him to tell. "I—"

She stopped as she looked up from staring at the floor. A look of shock ran clearly over her face.

"Gaara-sama…" she whispered, then swallowed quickly, averting her eyes again. "I'm sorry, Kazekage-sama, I didn't know—"

"You've been gone from Suna for some time." He said matter-of-factly. "I suppose no one has bothered to fill you in on what has transpired since then?"

She looked back up slowly, but when she did, she met his gaze levelly. The fear was gone from her demeanor.

"I had been informed of the Fourth's passing, but I must have been on a mission for the Feudal Lord when they discussed your appointment. I… I didn't mean to intrude. I simply needed to discuss the arrangements concerning my reassignment. My term with the Feudal Lord's guard…"

Gaara held up a hand to cut her off and she stopped immediately.

"Have you just arrived?"

"Only a few hours ago, Kazekage-sama. I came here as soon as I could see to it that I had a place to stay."

Gaara was quiet for a moment, and she watched him, not fearfully, almost… curiously, he thought. If this was the same girl he remembered, it didn't surprise him. She had always been this way, showing no fear even when others had called him a monster...

However, that was a different time. Now he noticed a hesitancy to her manner that had not been present previously. Somehow the years had worn on her.

"We will discuss your next mission later. I am not sure how much you have been informed of, but Suna has some pressing concerns at hand. You should rest now, and the council or I will get back to you in short order."

She bowed her head in assent. "Thank you for taking the time to see me, Kazekage-sama. I hope it was not an inconvenience."

She began to retreat, but something was gnawing at Gaara's insides.

"It's Airi, isn't it?"

"Hn?" She half-turned, realizing a second too late that 'hn?' was not the way one replied to the Kazekage.

But he had already begun speaking again. "Your name. Airi, isn't it?"

A second look of shock crossed her expression. "Yes, Kazekage-sama. It is."

With that, she left his office, just in time to miss the breathless figure that entered his office afterward.

"Gaara-sensei, we just—!" Matsuri paused, glancing between the door and the Kazekage's strange expression. "Who was that?"

Gaara shook his head, pulling the next paper off the stack. "Just an old acquaintance…"

* * *

"_We're never gonna get it down," the young boy said despairingly, staring up the face of the cliff. A red ball was perched at the edge of it, where it had been thrown by the children in the course of their game._

_The little girl tugged at her big brother's sleeve. "Do something, onii-san!"_

_The other children looked at him also. As the oldest of the group, he was expected to take care of their problems, but he had no way of controlling this._

_Just as he was about to admit defeat, the other children pointed above him. As if by some miracle, the ball was floating down toward him._

"_Wha…" he began, but then he noticed the sand. A shiver of fear ran through him as he raised his eyes to view the tiny red-headed boy walking toward them._

"_Sabuku no Gaara…" he whispered, his voice filled with dread. The boy grabbed his little sister by the hand. "Airi, we have to go."_

_The little girl blinked up at him, her large indigo eyes registering confusion. "But, onii-san, that boy… he helped us. Shouldn't we let him play with us?"_

_The boy shook his head, ushering his sister along, despite the sound of Gaara's pleas echoing behind him._

_The little girl couldn't help but glance over her shoulder at the little red headed boy. She tried to run back, but her big brother scooped her up, carrying her in his arms. She could only watch sadly as the boy got smaller and smaller in her vision, tears running down his pale face._

* * *

_A/N: This is a revision of one of my old fics, but I'm going in a different direction with it. Read and review please, lovely readers! Any constructive criticism is wonderful!_

_- Senka Hitomi _


	2. Memory

_Well, this was a rather quick update for me! Still doing revisions, so this chapter is fairly short. _

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto... or Gaara... Sadly._

* * *

Dusk fell quickly in the desert, dyeing the cliffs red as the light gradually faded from the sky. Airi set herself at a slow pace, taking in the familiar sights and sounds.

Being away for three years, she had expected a larger change, and yet, it all seemed the same. Same buildings, same vendors closing up their shops as the night settled in. It seemed to be a place preserved in time.

Only now, something was different. There wasn't a pervasive sense of fear in the people. They actually looked up as they walked, speaking to one another and… was that a smile? On nights like this, not so long ago, you wouldn't have even seen people out at this hour. Fear of the night and the beasts it conjured kept them locked in their houses.

She passed the house she had lived in as a child, a place now abandoned, drowning in memories. The sight of it made her turn her head away in shame. It had likely fallen into disrepair, nothing more than a relic now to a childhood better left in the past.

She quickened her pace, continuing to follow the line of the endless landscape. Airi wasn't sure how long she walked, but when she finally stopped, the village had faded almost entirely into darkness, and she found herself alone on the streets of Suna.

Feeling caught in the shadows of the buildings, she jumped onto a low roof, skipping over the tops of them until she reached the building where she had taken up temporary residence. She sat to catch her breath, staring up at the soft light emitted by the full moon.

She recalled a time in her youth when she had been locked inside on nights like this, her family closing every door, every window, her younger siblings cowering in fear on the floor, her father standing anxiously in front of his family, a kunai clutched to his chest.

She sneered softly. Not that it would have done any good if we had been attacked. It would simply have gotten him killed faster.

But now it didn't matter. They never had been, and those days were far in the past.

Not that she had ever been truthfully scared anyway. She had been blind to what was going on. There had been rumored whispers, but her big brother and her father had kept her carefully sheltered, fed with just enough information to keep her content, but not enough to keep her lying awake at night, crying herself to sleep and attempting to quell the nightmares like her father sometimes did. He had thought that she couldn't hear him, but when all was silent, not even the sound of crickets echoing through the darkness, she could hear the barely suppressed sobs and the quiet pleas of mercy. It made her wonder what he had seen to make him this way, but she could not question. That would be admitting she knew more than she was supposed to, and such a thing could never happen, not in her father's house.

But now, it was different. The night was filled with a different type of silence, the calm silence that came with peace, not the calm that preceded a storm.

'Is it because he has become the Kazekage?' she wondered. How had things become so different in such a short time? And… what had truly happened?

So much of the news she had heard of the shinobi world in the past years had only been fleeting snippets: the assassination of the Fourth and the incident in Konoha; the reappointment, but she had never heard who had been named in his place.

But she couldn't help but wonder… what of the beast within?

* * *

_The wind pulled playfully at her waist-length hair, kicking up tiny particles of sand in the streets that swirled around her feet. Only a child of ten, she saw no real harm in disregarding her father's rules just this once. How could it hurt? She would be back home before he ever even had time to realize she was gone._

_The girl stared up at the full moon, amazed. What fascinating beauty… She had never been able to see it before. Always the light of the full moon had been hidden behind closed shutters and barred doors, made terrifying by her father's stern manner and sharp blade. _

_A voice echoed down the street, full of the slur brought on by alcohol. _

'_More than one,' she realized. Ducking into a corner, she saw the three men come around the corner, staggering back and forth across the road, yelling at the top of their lungs, and barely keeping in step. _

_Slowly her gaze was pulled to a second set of shadows on the roof of the building. The shadows resolved into a slight form; it was not a large figure like the darkness had seemed to suggest, merely a child like herself. She worried. Perhaps those men would harm the child—_

_Suddenly the men froze, eyes wide as they also noticed the silent figure atop the roof. They began to back away slowly, the stupor of the drink rapidly fading as fear set in, and the girl was confused. What was happening?_

_Then, those eerie green eyes turned on them. Sand rose up in a torrent, and a transformation began, blocking out the light of the moon. The girl turned her eyes away, terrified. _

_She sat, crouched and shivering for what seemed like hours. Finally, there was silence, and she lifted her head just slightly to glimpse the scene around her._

_When she turned back, the figure on the roof was no longer sitting up, but slumped across the tiles of the roof, and the men were nowhere to be found. _

_Tentatively, silently, she moved up to the adjacent roof, belly to the tile, hidden from view. _

_She soon discovered it wouldn't have mattered anyway. The figure on the other roof was breathing shallowly, only barely conscious and certainly not able to notice anything going on around him. _

_Body trembling, she edged closer, until she was right next to him. _

_Sabuku no Gaara, son of the Kazekage._

_She had since recognized that as the moment which had ended her childhood. _

_Realization hit her like a stone wall. The whispered names, the fear behind her father's eyes, the reason her brother had dragged her away that day... all of it suddenly became startlingly clear. _

_Gaara's green eyes stared blankly into space, not seeing the figure crouched next to him, less than a hand span away. It was all he could do to maintain consciousness, to keep that… thing, that creature, that demon, subdued. _

_The girl stared down at his pained form, grossly aware of the miniscule droplets of blood covering the roof and surrounding area. _

_She knew that being here was the most dangerous place she could be, that she should be paralyzed with fear, or running for her life. But all she could feel was pity. This boy was a shell, a vessel for a massive force that was not himself, but had been cast upon him nonetheless, and so had become a part of him. A hunger, a bloodlust, a desire to kill. She looked at the wretched creature, few stray tears escaping her eyes before she disappeared into the darkness._

_She would be scolded by her father when she got home, but she didn't remember hearing his words. It was drowned out by the silence of comprehension, by a need to help something that she never could. _

_So she had one choice. She would do everything she could to defend those who had no choice in their fate, and protect those unaware of the darkness that surrounded them._

_She told her father the next day of her wish to become a shinobi of Suna._

* * *

_A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I love to hear from my readers, so please review! :) Next update to come soon, once I've gotten a few more of the details worked out. In the mean time, any opinions, comments, constructive criticism, suggestions etc. are greatly appreciated!_

_~ Senka Hitomi_


	3. Sleep

_A/N: Okay, so latest Manga chapter was AMAZING. For those of you that haven't read it yet, you should. :) Ah, Gaara. 3 _

_Anywho. So it's the usual spiel: I don't own Naruto, this is a sad thing, etc. etc._

_Hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

Gaara was up long before the sun had even touched the horizon. Years of sleepless nights hadn't led to an easy adjustment to a regular sleep schedule.

Besides, his mind was too occupied to even begin to consider sleeping. Worry would have kept him awake regardless.

And then he had received the summons for another Kage summit. And not just about anything.

This would be a war summit.

He crumpled the paper, and it disintegrated to dust as he moved back to his desk. He needed to formulate plans, decide who would organize the ranks while he was away, convince the Council that he didn't need more than two bodyguards for the trip… far too much to be done.

And still all these petitions. He frowned at the pile of papers that _still _covered his desk. Maybe it would at least provide a distraction until the rest of the people he needed to contact were awake.

He sat down at his desk and pulled the first off the pile.

Then paused.

The memory of a slender hand placing a paper back on his desk and wary violet eyes flashed across his vision.

_Airi._

The petition returned to its place on his desk, and he pulled out a blank sheet of paper. Before any of this paperwork, he had something else to take care of…

* * *

Airi woke up groggy, unsure of where she was. The bed she slept in was unfamiliar; had she been sent on a mission by the daimyo?

'No,' she realized as her head cleared, 'I'm in Suna. Home. As much of one as I've ever had.'

She sat up slowly, blinking at the bright light that filtered in the window.

'I overslept,' she realized with sudden horror. The sun was far too high on the horizon. How many years had it been since she had overslept? Years spent being prepared to protect the daimyo had trained her to shed sleep's clutches at a moment's notice. Not one day had she ever overslept.

And now, one day back in Suna and she was already letting old bad habits come back to her?

'Just one more reason I shouldn't be back here…'

She scrambled up, tossing aside twisted sheets to rush to the door. She threw it open to find a piece of paper tacked to it.

'I must have missed the knock,' she thought miserably, scanning the paper.

A concise message ran down the length of the page. "The council will see you for reassignment, 0900."

'Shit…' she muttered, running a hand through her short hair. 'I didn't expect him to get to it so fast.'

Airi looked down at herself. She had fallen asleep in her uniform; quite honestly, she hadn't even remembered coming down off the roof, but obviously she had gotten to her room somehow.

Airi rummaged through her things, trying to find something suitable. Her haphazard packing job wasn't helping matters. She hadn't completely missed the meeting, but it was only a few minutes away and somehow she didn't think she looked very professional at the moment.

Finally, a clean uniform emerged from somewhere beneath all of her things.

After a few minutes of frantic preparation, she got herself into a semi-presentable state and rushed out the door, brushing past the puzzled landlady.

The old woman shook her head, returning to sweeping the front walk.

"Young shinobi…" she smiled to herself.

* * *

All Gaara could do was think as the clock ticked on.

Finish the paperwork… prepare for departure… formulate the defense plan…

'Where _is _she?'

* * *

_The girl was led into the Council chamber by her father, her steps sure and steady, though on the inside, her stomach lurched like a storm-tossed ship. _

_Gaara watched from the window, completely silent. He wasn't supposed to be here, and were he to be discovered, his father would be uncontrollably angry, but it was a distraction, if a bland one. He certainly had nothing better to do with his time; being cooped up in his room all the time was pointless, and training just bored him. What could they possibly teach him that he couldn't already do anyway?_

"_My daughter has come with a petition, Kazekage-sama," the tall shinobi announced, shoving his daughter forward. She took a glance around the room before beginning, and her eyes caught on a familiar shock of red hair. Her eyes widened for a split second, then returned to normal, and she bowed to the Kazekage._

"_I wish to start my shinobi training under the guidance of my father."_

_Gaara watched the girl. She recognized him, it was obvious, but it seemed not to be in fear. She had simply look surprised and perhaps… saddened, at his presence? He was certain he recognized her from somewhere, but he was unsure. She had honey-colored hair, long and flowing gracefully down to her waist, and almost violet eyes. A blur flashed across his mind, lit dimly by a shining beacon above his head and a feeling of rain, or perhaps tears… _

_But he couldn't recall what it was. It couldn't be anything he should concern himself with. _

_The Kazekage glanced at his councilors, and then at the girl's father, face inscrutable, as it was obscured by the traditional headdress. "And do you accept the responsibility?"_

_Her father lowered his head in assent. "I do." _

"_Then I see no reason why she should not be free to begin training, and I will receive word should any significant improvement be made."_

"_Of course, Kazekage-sama," both father and daughter answered. _

"_Then I believe our business is through." _

_The two turned to go, but not before the girl stole another glance at the window, indigo eyes meeting turquoise. No fear shone in her gaze, only simple curiosity. _

_For a moment, something he had never experienced before welled up within him, but then the girl was gone, and he dismissed it as no more than an imagining of his attention-starved mind._

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Okay, so this one was really short too... Gah, I need to write more! Anyway, please leave reviews, they make me happy. I hope this wasn't terribly boring... I just need to set up for some later scenes. And the past and present scenes just meshed so well for this one! _

_Hopefully I'll get some better inspiration to write chapters soon... Though I do have a new oneshot in the works, I think... :) But please read & review, and I'll try to update soon!_

_~ Senka Hitomi_


	4. Challenges

_A/N: Hmm... these keep getting shorter and shorter. In any case, hope you all enjoy. _

_I don't own Naruto, because if I did, why would you be reading this here, right?_

* * *

Airi paused outside the door, her hand hovering just inches from the handle. She was late, and she knew it.

But better late than never, right?

The gnawing feeling in her stomach seemed to suggest otherwise.

She turned the handle and entered nonetheless.

The chamber was silent as she entered, and she moved to the only open seat, followed by the eyes of the council.

"You're late."

Airi suppressed a wince. "I can offer no excuse for my tardiness, but I beg the council's forgiveness in this matter, and I hope that it will not affect my next assignment."

The council member who had addressed her previously raised an eyebrow, his lips setting into a thin line of disapproval. "You would do well to apologize to the Kazekage as well."

Airi's head snapped up, and for the first time, she noted the formal robes and headdress on the man seated at the center seat of the council table.

'My day just gets better and better…' she thought wryly.

"I apologize, Kazekage-sama. It was not my intention to waste your time in such a manner or disrespect your presence on the council."

Only silence met her. Airi could feel her stomach sinking lower.

The silence was finally broken as another of the council members stood. "Saito Airi, due to your extended absence from Sunagakure and your time spent in the service of the daimyo, the council has proposed that you participate in a demonstration of your abilities. From this, we will be able to assess the extent of your skill and assign you accordingly."

The gray-haired man who had first spoken to her interrupted the other council member.

"As you may have become aware, the shinobi world is on the verge of a large conflict. The assignment that we give you following this… exhibition, as you might call it, may be quite different than the missions you had come to know before you left Suna. Assessment of your skill in combat will be essential to determine where you will be placed."

Airi swallowed and found herself brave enough to speak. "When will this assessment take place?"

The standing council member answered. "Since we are pressed for time, we have scheduled the assessment for this afternoon, 1600 hours."

He smiled sardonically. "I trust this gives you enough time to prepare and be _punctual_, Saito-san?"

Airi bit back the sarcastic retort that was on the tip of her tongue. "Of course."

"Then this meeting is concluded. We will see you at the training grounds, 1600 hours."

* * *

Gaara watched as the rest of the Council filtered out of the room.

"Gaara?"

He looked over, broken from his reverie. Temari had her hands on her hips, and was looking at him skeptically.

"It's like you weren't even here during that entire meeting. What's wrong?"

He shook his head, removing the formal headdress. "I simply have other concerns. What is next on the agenda?"

"Planning for the Kage summit." Temari followed him as he exited the room. She paused for a moment, tapping the clipboard in front of her thoughtfully.

"That girl… she looked familiar. She isn't the one whose brother—"

"Yes." Gaara cut her off.

Temari raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Gaara cleared his throat. "Can we get back to the schedule?"

"Sure." Temari looked back down at it. "Following the planning session… well, then it's her evaluation. Don't you think that form of assessment is a little harsh?"

Gaara frowned. "She's a shinobi. The life of a shinobi _is _harsh. Besides, it's just a simple test."

Temari let out a short bark of laughter, stopping in the middle of the hallway to stare at her brother. "You really _were _somewhere else during that council, weren't you? Do you even know who she's fighting?"

This gave Gaara pause. "Fighting?"

Temari just shook her head. "They've set her up in a fight against Kankuro. I suppose it's a good way to evaluate her skills, as he's one of the best we've got, but it's going to knock her flat on her ass if she's not prepared."

Fighting Kankuro? The fact that he had managed to miss this detail concerned Gaara more than a little. Perhaps he had been putting too much focus on the coming war. If he were to start ignoring small things, it could lead to much worse consequences. And to set Airi up against Kankuro… he just hoped that Kankuro would know not to overdo it.

At least, this was what was cycling through his head. In reality, he said:

"She was a member of the daimyo's guard. If she can't take on Kankuro, I hesitate to consider the daimyo safe."

Temari smiled grimly. "I suppose we'll see, now won't we?"

* * *

_The Chuunin exams. Only one group would be sent from Suna, and this year it was the children of the Kazekage. _

_Airi watched from the roof of her house, looking down on the procession, if you could assign that name to such a ragtag band, as it filtered out of the Kazekage's residence and down the dusty streets. She saw one glimpse of bright red hair, and then he was gone from view, and the sun seemed to shine brighter with the lack of his shadows._

_A hand fell on her shoulder, and she jumped. _

"_You need to be less caught up in your own world, Airi, that's going to be the death of you someday." Her brother admonished, sitting down next to her on the rooftop. "What are you looking at?"_

"_Just looking at the city. It seems different today," she lied. To tell her brother that she had been up here watching the departure would have been signing her own death note. _

_Her brother smiled wryly, eyes distant. "It is different. Didn't you know? The children of the Kazekage leave for Konoha today. It seems a foolhardy move to me, the way relations have been since the last Great Shinobi War, especially considering how unstable…" _

_He stopped there, the words not needing to be said. "But I am not on the Council, now am I?"_

_Her brother stood, grinning, and held out a hand to help Airi up. "Come on, kid, spar with me for a little while before I have to go."_

_Airi agreed, smiling, but not without giving a last glance back to the road, and sending a wish skyward for the safety of the mission. Not for Konoha's safety, but for the human being within a monster. _

_But no one other than her would ever know it._

* * *

_A/N: Okay, so random trivia for those of you who actually care. The memories in this were salvaged from my original version of this story, and I'm revamping the present parts. But twice now, the past incidents have accidentally coincided with what's going on in the present story. (For example, in this one, Airi being caught up in her own world in the past, as well as the mention of her brother, is parallel to Gaara's conversation with Temari.) Anyhow, I just thought that was odd and interesting; but then again, I find coincidences in odd places. What can I say? I'm a weirdo._

_But, I'll end with the usual fare: please review, it makes my day to see that I have a review waiting for me. And I hope I created a little suspense in this chapter, what with her coming spar with Kankuro and the slight mention of the past behind what happened to her brother in there. :) Updates soon to come, I hope. _

_Also, if while you're waiting for the next chapter you're looking for something else to read and are a ShikaIno fan, check out my recent fic Stuck in the Clouds here: .net/s/6472309/1/Stuck_in_the_Clouds_

_Thanks for reading! ~ Senka Hitomi_


	5. Apart at the Seams

_Hello everyone! I apologize for taking a while to get this chapter up. Hopefully the next one will be faster, now that I'm over my mini-writer's block, and I have time since I'm on Thanksgiving Break._

_Anywho, I don't own Naruto, or Gaara, much to my chagrin._

_Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Airi slowly wound bandages around her forearms, listening to the subdued chatter that was echoing up from the streets to the roof of her lodging house.

Only one hour left to prepare.

She had spent her morning learning all she could about her opponent. He was the brother of the Kazekage; that she had known for years. He was a puppeteer, had faced Sasori of the Red Sand and survived to tell about it. He was a Jonin, and he didn't take fighting lightly. His major arsenal consisted of three puppets, but several sources had hinted at something new he had been working with. That piece of information was what worried her most.

She pulled on black fingerless gloves over the bandages and strapped them in place.

Airi wasn't certain what his nature affinity was. With a skill like controlling puppets, it was impossible to tell. She had been told that he used poison though. That was something to watch out for.

She flexed her hand within the glove. Was she prepared for this? Probably not, but she had to give it her best effort.

Airi picked up her forehead protector: the final touch. Normally she wore it around her waist, but today was different. She tied the material snugly around her head, bringing herself to her feet.

'One more hour.' She thought solemnly, eyes sweeping out over Suna.

But first, she had something she needed to do.

* * *

The graveyard was silent. Airi was the only visitor today, so she took her time, glancing at the tombstones as she went.

There were newer ones, some that she recognized, and some that she didn't. Classmates, friends of her siblings... she didn't have time to weep for them.

Finally she came to the one she had been searching for. Unlike the other graves, it had no date, no name, and no body beneath it.

Airi hadn't traveled to the Tomb of the Lost in years.

She knelt to the ground.

"I know you can't hear me. And I know if you could, you'd think I was a fool for doing this every time, but you know me better than anyone else. You know I can't get through the day without my little routines, and I guess this is a source of comfort."

She paused, biting her lip. "I know it's foolish to ask for anything. Wherever you are now, I know you can't help me. But I—I miss you. Even more now that I'm older. You always knew the right thing to do, especially when I was foolish enough to get myself in over my head."

Airi sniffled a little, wiping at the tears that had started to form at the corner of her eyes. "Just look at me. I'm such an idiot, crying over nothing. If you were here, you would have told me not to, that it wouldn't get me anywhere in the world of the shinobi. Well, just look where I've gotten myself now."

A ray of sunlight that struck the headstone reminded her of the time constraint and she looked at her watch. Only a few minutes.

"I should leave. Don't want to be late again."

By this time, she wasn't bothering to stop the tears. "Wherever you are, I hope you're supporting me. You always did when you were here. If you have time in the great beyond, I hope you think about your little sister sometime. I think about you more often than I care to admit."

She stood, dusting her hands off and rubbing at her eyes. "Rest well, brother, wherever you are."

* * *

Gaara sat down next to Temari, adjusting his formal robes.

"I didn't realize this would be such a large event."

Temari shrugged, surveying the crowd that had gathered around the training grounds. "The people are restless, you know that. It's a distraction from everything that worries them now."

Gaara nodded his head silently; he knew only too well of the worries they faced.

The crowd was slowly quieting as two figures emerged onto the ground. They stood facing one another, solid and unyielding.

Gaara could only hope they wouldn't destroy one another.

"Let the challenge commence."

* * *

Airi faced her opponent. He was considerably taller than her, and far more heavily built.

'I can use that to my advantage.' She started to consider, then dismissed the thought as something else caught her attention.

The area was filling with smoke.

'Already starting with poison,' she frowned, pulling the mask she brought just in case up over her mouth. Inside it were chakra infused cylinders that acted as a filter, cycling clean air through to her mouth and nose.

Now, the only difficult part would be seeing.

Unfortunately, Airi was left with little time to think about that particular problem. A needle whizzed past her head.

Time to start pulling out the defense.

She rolled out of the way of the oncoming needles, forming hand signals as she did so that that last of them came just as she hit her feet once again.

The air around her started to swirl.

Deflecting the needles now was a wall of air that surrounded her.

* * *

"What is that?" Temari squinted, leaning forward to better discern what was forming out on the field. Air swirled around Airi's thin form, coalescing into a monstrous form easily ten times larger than the kunoichi.

Gaara raised his eyebrows. "It looks like a tornado."

* * *

_Airi finished tying the black bandages around her arms. _

_Soft footsteps behind her alerted her to someone else's presence behind her. "Are you ready?"_

_Airi turned to face her sister. The young girl's face was red and tear-streaked, a stark contrast to Airi's dry one._

"_As ready as I can be. Where is onii-san?"_

_Her sister shrugged, swiping at her cheeks to wipe away the tears. "He said he was coming in just a while."_

_Airi nodded. "Good. We should go then."_

_The graveyard was mostly silent, save for the few people visiting the fresh grave of the Fourth Kazekage. They either failed to notice or ignored the small party gathered around another grave nearby._

_Airi's brother put a hand on her shoulder, as their younger sisters sobbed, kneeling in the dirt by their father's grave._

"_He knew this was a risk when he accepted the assignment."_

_The statement rang hollow, true though it was. Even despite the fact that she and her father had constantly fought, Airi could feel a growing void in her chest. _

"_Who will train me now that he's gone?"_

_Her brother's face was drawn, and he turned away, watching as the sun set over the desert rather than staring at the place where what was left of his father was buried. _

"_I will do what I can, Airi, but I don't know for how long." He motioned her away from the grave, walking just out of hearing distance of their two younger sisters. "I've decided to accept the appointment."_

_No one had told Airi about her brother's invitation to join ANBU. She had been able to discern it all from the way he had acted of late, the arguments he had had with their father… but she had never thought he would accept._

"_Are you crazy? Look what happened to our father. He wasn't even ANBU, he was just the Kazekage's bodyguard and look where that got him! You're a fool if you think the ANBU will offer you any kind of protection." Airi narrowed her eyes; for the first time since she had heard of her father's death, tears began to form. _

"_What happens if I lose you too?"_

"_Hush." Her brother scanned around them surreptitiously. "Don't speak so loudly of things you know little about. Maybe it won't offer any protection, but it's for the good of the village, Airi. Our father __**died**__ to protect this village, and you'd dare dishonor his memory by suggesting that I should take the coward's way out of things and not go? _

"_I can't not accept the offer to join the ANBU. At some point, Airi, you've got to start looking at things as being for the good of the whole. You can't hold such a childish, selfish perspective your whole life."_

_He turned and walked back to their younger siblings, gathering them up and ushering them back toward the village. _

_Airi could only stand and watch. A loose thread from her bandages tickled her arm, and she pulled it away, leaving a long line of empty space in the fabric._

_Coming apart at the seams…_

* * *

_A/N: Well, that chapter was rather sad. Once again, I went with the past coinciding with present, with the grave visits and the bandages. Sorry if this chapter wasn't up to par; as I noted earlier, I had a little writer's block, which I kind of forced myself out of. Any comments, lavish forms of praise, critiques etc. are appreciated, and remember, reviews make me a happy girl! :) _

_Updates soon to come, I hope!_

_~ Senka Hitomi_


	6. Waiting

The poison gas quickly dispersed in the wake of the torrent of wind and the last of the needles bounced harmlessly away. Airi stood, smirking slightly as she locked gazes at with her opponent.

"Is that the best you can do? She called across the field.

"Don't underestimate me, girl! I'm just getting started." Still scowling, he began to form hand signs.

* * *

"She's provoking him." Temari remarked, frowning. "She should know better than to do that, whether she's been gone for years or not."

"She's doing it purposefully."

The remark caught Temari's attention. She quirked her head to the side, lifting an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Of course she's doing it on purpose, but that doesn't make it any less stupid."

The Kazekage shook his head, settling back in his chair. "You don't see it. She's intentionally making him angry. She already has him sized up, even this far in. You know the way Kankuro fights. He's capable, but if you make him angry, he starts to lose his head. Airi has already figured out the key to defeating him. Expose his weak points and make him insecure, which makes him angry. He gets too angry, he starts to make brash moves and she exploits it."

Temari closed her hanging jaw with a click and turned back to the match, silenced.

* * *

The sand around Airi's feet began to shift. She jumped out of the way just as something burst from the ground; it retreated too quickly for her to get a glimpse of it while she was in motion.

'Since his style is predominantly long range,' she considered as she landed, 'I'll just have to take the fight to him.'

Airi whipped a scroll from her pocket as he prepared his next attack. It worried her that she hadn't yet seen any use of his puppet technique, but now, she didn't have time to think about that. She bit her thumb and ran the now-blood-covered digit across the open scroll.

A sheathed uchigatana appeared in front of her. She ran her hand over the engraving before she fastened around her waist, dodging another attack.

She jumped, but something went awry. Her ankle caught and she was jerked back to the ground. All of a sudden, darkness had closed in around her.

* * *

"Black Ant." Temari said with finality, smirking a little at having proved her brother wrong. Surely this girl was done now. Black Ant was almost fail proof. "There's no way she can win now."

Gaara folded his hands in front of his face, remaining expressionless. "We will see."

Kankuro grinned. "I have you now, girl. I'd like to see you try to escape my Black Ant."

He formed the final hand seal. "Black Secret Technique Machine One Shot."

Temari sucked in her breath. "Did you tell him to go that far?"

Gaara stood up sharply, squinting to discern what was going on out on the field. "No, I didn't. What is he thinking? Kankuro!"

* * *

_The sound of footsteps behind her brought the young woman out of her meditation. _

"_How did the meeting with the Council go?" Airi opened her eyes but didn't face her brother, instead staring distantly at the wall. _

"_I'm to assist in the reparations of the Leaf. They want to promote the new treaty and establish that we truly are their allies again."_

_She nodded. "It stands to reason. When do you leave?"_

"_Immediately." She heard his breath hitch as he hesitated. _

"… _I have something for you as well."_

_She finally turned around, indigo eyes puzzled. "I wasn't summoned, was I? That would reflect badly—"_

_He cut her off. "No, you weren't. It only came in during my Council meeting. It was… something of a surprise. They thought it was fitting that I be the messenger."_

_Her brother held the envelope out to her, his hand steady and firm. _

_She accepted it, reading her full name printed across the front before flipping it over to open the seal across the back._

_She stopped short._

"_This… is the seal of the Daimyo." She looked up at her brother, eyes questioning. He simply remained silent, gesturing for her to continue._

_She pulled the paper from the envelope. _

"_Saito Airi, the Office of the Daimyo has formally requested your services in the protection…"_

_Airi stopped and looked up at her brother, meeting his gaze. His face told her that he already knew what the letter said. _

_Silence stretched between them._

"_So will you take it?"_

_She smiled wryly. "Do I have a choice? Of course I will."_

_He held out a hand and she stood up. Her brother smiled slightly, clasping her hand for a moment. _

"_You'll take care of yourself. I don't want to hear any bad reports."_

_Airi couldn't help but return the smile. "The same goes for you. I know how reckless you are, so don't go and get yourself killed."_

_She dropped the smile, lowering her voice. "Please be safe, onii-san."_

"_If you insist."_

_He chuckled, dropping her hand. "I'll see you soon, kid."_

_He turned to leave but then paused, rotating back to face her._

_"I almost forgot. I got you a little something." _

_He pulled a scroll from his pocket. "It will respond to your blood seal alone. I hope you like it."_

_Her brother was gone before she could question further, so she opened the scroll, bit her thumb and swiped it across it. _

_The gleam of metal met her eye. It was simple, an uchigatana with a solid black hilt and an inscription near the base of the blade. _

_Airi traced her finger over the characters. 'Strength through honor, love foremost. Always remember the sacrifice of the shinobi.'_

_She stood there awhile after he had gone, simply staring between the sword and the letter. Guard to the daimyo… _

* * *

A/N: _Well, I hope you all liked that chapter. I realize it was depressingly short, but I just can't seem to get this right. And besides, I wanted to leave you all in suspense a little. Kankuro strikes me as the type who would go overboard so... we'll see what happens. ;) _

**_Please _**_review if you would. It makes me incredibly happy. I already have some of the next chapter written, so hopefully it will be up soon. _

~ _Senka Hitomi_


	7. Deceptions

_Gah! What am I even still doing up at this ungodly hour? I had sort of a spurt of writing inspiration and this is what resulted... hope you all enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own Naruto. You surprised? ...me neither. _

* * *

Kankuro grinned as the pieces of Crow plunged into the holes in the wood. He had attached shortened blades before the battle started. It wouldn't kill her, but she'd certainly get scratched up. He nodded over at Gaara, who had stood up in the stands.

'I know what I'm doing.' He thought; he saw that his brother was now standing, Temari looking concerned behind him. He waved lazily; they shouldn't be so hyped up. Besides, this battle had been too easy. This girl deserved what was coming to her if she managed to get captured that quickly.

"Tch. Some guard to the daimyo…" he muttered under his breath. "Can't even dodge a—"

The smirk was wiped off his face as quickly as it had gotten there.

The shine of a blade caught his eye as it was poised just over his throat.

"Dodge a what?"

* * *

Kankuro had noticed their concern, but he waved it off, grinning like a madman out on the field.

"Confident bastard…" Temari scoffed, sitting back down. "He must have shortened the blades beforehand."

Gaara slowly settled himself back into his chair. So this is how it would be.

It was a shame, he thought. He had really expected her to—

"No…" came an amazed whisper from his left and his gaze was directed back to the field.

Something –it looked like wind—was leaking from Black Ant.

And Airi had an uchigatana at Kankuro's throat.

* * *

Kankuro tried to swallow, but the blade was so close to the skin that it nicked him; a tiny trickle of warm blood ran down his neck, dripping onto the blade.

"Now look what you've done." Airi shook her head, sighing. "Getting blood all over my nice clean blade. Unforgivable."

Kankuro gritted his teeth. "Why you—"

Airi adjusted her blade, letting it hover ever closer to the jugular vein that was now visibly pounding in his neck. "Are you ready to end this?"

"Heh." Kankuro gave a nervous smile, chuckling as much as he dared. "You're a fool if you think _this_ is the end."

Airi thought to hold her breath just in time. Poison smoke began to fill the area just as she jumped and where her opponent had previously been, a puppet now stood.

* * *

Temari sat as far forward as was possible on the seat, watching the battle with such intensity now that Gaara thought she might just fall out of her chair.

"She must have used a wind clone to escape Black Ant… but is that even possible? I almost thought she had Kankuro for a second there, but I should have known he'd know better than to leave himself exposed with a close-combat fighter like her."

Gaara almost smiled despite himself. This battle just got more and more interesting; even Temari was invested in it now. But he swallowed the smile and turned his attention back to the match.

Airi had jumped away from Crow, and was now harnessing the wind to propel herself upward away from the ground.

'She knows Kankuro is just biding his time now."

* * *

It was getting more and more difficult to avoid the ground. She didn't have limitless stores of chakra and that wind clone was no small feat. But, if she landed, she'd inevitably get caught by the puppet that had almost trapped her earlier and this time she wasn't sure she had the chakra left to summon another clone.

If she wanted to win, she'd have to stay above the ground.

* * *

_The council had just started when a messenger entered. Airi lowered into fighting stance, her hand shifting automatically to the weapon at her side, as did the other guards on duty. _

_The daimyo waved a hand lazily. _

"_Stand down. Report!"_

_The messenger kneeled, holding a letter out to the daimyo. "Urgent message, to be passed through Your Lordship. They told me that this is where I would find the recipient and if I gave it to you—"_

_The daimyo held up a hand to silence him and took the letter, scanning it briefly. "They were correct. The recipient of the message is here. Saito-san."_

_It took a moment for what he said to register, but when it did, Airi scrambled to kneel before him. "Yes, daimyo-sama."_

"_The communication is for you."_

_She took it from his hand, remaining on her knee to open it. The writing on the front was unfamiliar to her, clear and neat, almost as though it had been printed rather than written. _

_The paper had very little text on it, but it was all in the same level script. _

_**Saito Airi,**_

_**We regret to inform you that your brother, Saito Masaru, has been reported missing in action. Should any information regarding his retrieval be procured, contact will be made.**_

_Her vision was too blurred to read the rest of it and the paper crumpled in her hand._

_

* * *

_

_A/N: How sad. I knew that it was coming, being the author, (in my original draft, she had already mentioned the fact that he had gone missing by this point, so you all would have known too) but that doesn't make it any less terrible for her. I realize this chapter was short again, but I feel like I'm getting better writing out of shorter chapters. Plus, as an added benefit, I update much more frequently. Anyway, I hope this chapter was interesting and I leave with the traditional ending: review, please and thank you._

_Also I'll take this opportunity to say thanks to my wonderful reviewers thus far: Big Sister, Refrigerator-Burn and, most recently, Rayne Slade. I've greatly appreciated the wonderful comments and I hope you all continue to enjoy my writing!_

~ Senka Hitomi


	8. Breaking Point

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Obviously. _

* * *

The lack of chakra was making her feet dance closer and closer to the ground. Airi focused all of her effort into maintaining the distance, but she knew that she'd have to end this quickly if she didn't want to collapse. After all, it was a show of her skills that the Council wanted and being able to quickly bring her battles to a close was certainly a skill that would be useful.

It was all a matter of finding her opponent, she realized. With that idea in mind, she began to formulate a plan…

* * *

Temari sat back again, somewhat dissatisfied. "She's just stalling now. I really had high hopes for her when she nearly caught Kankuro, but if this is all she can manage—

She stopped mid-sentence as Airi hit the ground and then shook her head slowly, grinning over at her younger brother. "There it is. Kankuro has got her now."

Gaara said nothing, only gestured back to the field.

Black Ant had appeared from nowhere, capturing Airi as soon as she hit the ground. Crow was already poised above it, blades out.

"She's done."

The pieces of Crow plunged down one more time—

—and immediately retracted.

She wasn't there.

* * *

Airi smiled slightly. Her strategy had worked. True, her opponent had figured out that she was using a substitution quickly enough, but that had given her time: just enough time to start her technique and use a small wind current that started at the source of the substitution to trace the chakra threads that connected the puppet master to his puppets.

And now, using one final blast of strength, she shot in the direction that the threads had come from.

When she landed behind him, he was so surprised that he barely even had time to react. Her blade was once again hovering over his neck, and this time she was certain he was the real one.

"Are we quite done?"

For a split second, she saw true fear in his eyes.

Then he smiled wickedly.

"Nice little inscription there, girl. Looks like love wasn't quite enough to prevent your sacrifice today though. How sad. And to answer your question, yes, we are _quite_ done."

Airi's world went black quite abruptly.

* * *

When she awoke, it was to a sterile white room, and she wondered for a moment if she was dead.

"I see you're awake. You recovered much more quickly than we anticipated."

The voice that hit her ears was familiar but only vaguely so. She opened her eyes hesitantly, slowly rolling her head so she could see the source of the voice. With no idea of how badly she had been hurt, Airi wasn't about to make any sudden moves.

Slow recognition came over her as she identified the face of one of the council members who had been present at her earlier hearing. She was relieved to realize that it wasn't the one who had so harshly reprimanded her, but the other who had spoken. He was slightly younger, with less lines of age marring his face and a softer disposition, and he smiled at her gently.

"How do you feel?"

Airi considered the question. She could feel all of her extremities and, other than being mildly groggy, seemed to be in fairly decent shape. She wasn't in a large amount of pain; the only thing she felt were a set of developing bruises along her back and a slight pounding in her head.

"Not exactly normal, but not completely terrible either." She realized belatedly that this was probably not the best way to address a council member, but with her head swimming, the immediacy of punishment for such insubordination didn't seem quite so pressing.

Fortunately, the man was good-humored.

"Well, that's progress."

* * *

"You need at least a squad protecting you, I won't negotiate for any less. As much as we both trust Kankuro-sama and Temari-sama, I just think you would be safer—"

Baki stopped, suddenly realizing that the man he had been addressing was not even giving the slightest attention to what he was saying. "Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara looked up, unfazed. "You were saying?"

The older man sighed. "Have you been listening? I know I'm not going to change your mind about this, but I assumed I should at least try for the sake of the Council."

As much as he hated to admit it, Gaara's thoughts had truly been anywhere but on the matter at hand. Really, he considered, it was not a large concern. His mind had already been made up on the matter of the summit long ago, but he supposed he could at least have made the pretense of paying attention to what Baki was saying.

However, truth be told, he was much more interested in the details of what had happened in the evaluation this afternoon.

Kankuro had gone too far; he was certain of that. The girl had already been about to collapse from exhausting her chakra, but to use Scorpion to knock her out was just cruel. He, as the Kazekage, had been about to call the match. It was only supposed to be an evaluation; it didn't truly matter who won or lost. The Council had gotten a fair look at what skills Airi had. She was a good strategist, and despite a small chakra reserve, she had some very impressive techniques. To even survive that long against Kankuro, one of their most skilled Jonin, was a feat in itself.

And… Gaara couldn't shake some other sensation that plagued him every time he thought about her. It was… recognition, possibly. As if he knew her from somewhere else and just couldn't place it. Certainly, he recognized her as one of the many children of Suna that had feared him in childhood, but some other memory tugged at the back of his mind, a memory of rain or someone crying perhaps…?

"Kazekage-sama." Baki spoke as forcefully as he could without raising his voice.

Gaara regarded him calmly, face inscrutable, and for a split second, he saw a trace of the old fear in his teacher's face before reality overcame instinct.

"I will be taking two guards and that is all. Should the council have a problem with that, they can speak to me about it personally, but as far as I am concerned, the matter is closed."

Baki nodded reluctantly. "I will inform them immediately, Kazekage-sama."

He bowed slightly and exited, leaving Gaara with the ever-present stack of paperwork.

With only a few days until he would have to leave for the summit, Gaara launched headlong into his work, though not without considering that he might have to take a break to visit the hospital in a short while…

* * *

_Airi hated hospitals. They always attacked her senses with the overpowering smell of antiseptic and the sensation of blind fear, the mind-purging kind that inevitability accompanied death. _

"_I just need you to check the records, please. If anyone fitting that description has been admitted in the past two weeks—"_

_The medic held up a hand, looking up from the file she had been looking over to meet Airi's gaze flatly. _

"_Listen, hun, in the time it would take me to do all that, I will have lost three patients. I'd like to help you, really. I'll keep the name and description on file; if we get anything even remotely like, we'll have someone contact you, alright?"_

_The medic went back to ignoring her, and Airi took that to mean that their conversation was done. She didn't even bother to yell at the woman; it wouldn't accomplish what she needed and would only make a spectacle of her grief. _

_And the __**last**__ thing she wanted was a spectacle._

_She exited the hospital, stopping just outside the fence that surrounded the building. _

_The tears came more rapidly than she could fight them and pain worse than any she had ever taken from battle scorched through her. It was the stinging smack of the realization that she would never be hearing back from this hospital, that her brother truly was dead, and that she would never even get to honor his memory with a proper burial. ANBU tradition dictated that any bodies be destroyed lest they fall into enemy hands. _

'_It's an honor.' _

_Airi could hear his voice as clearly as if he were standing next to her. _

_When her crying finally slowed, she just felt empty. The walk back to the place she was staying was long and she met hardly anyone coming the other way, which she considered to be a fortunate thing, as she probably looked a mess. _

_The wind tugged playfully at her hair and she brushed it back from her face time and again only to have it fall back forward. _

_By about the fifth time, exasperation overcame her patience and she stopped on the path, whipping out a kunai. _

"_Goddamnit!" _

_It took only one clean cut. _

_Long strands of honey-blonde hair came away in her fingers. The ends of her remaining locks, uneven where she had severed them, fluttered around her chin, but it no longer flew in her face. _

_She at least made it back to the inn before she broke down again._

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Okay, so battle is done. Now we get to move on to fun stuff like the Fourth Great Shinobi World War. :) Well, not immediately, but that will be coming up._

_So now it's time for me, as the author, to get some input from you guys. I'll let your opinions decide what I write for my next chapter. Would you all prefer to see the scene that occurs when Gaara goes to check up on her in the hospital or would you prefer a time-skip to the Kage Summit and what Airi is doing at that point? Let me know in your reviews, if you would, and I'll write accordingly. _

_Once again, thanks to those of you who continue to read and review; your reviews brighten my day. :) I'll end with the usual: read, leave comments, criticism, praise, etc. & be sure to let me know which scene you want to see next!_

_~ Senka Hitomi_


	9. Please

_New chapter time! Read and enjoy_

* * *

The medic stepped back, nodding curtly to Airi. "You're all clear. You can gather your things and leave as soon as you like."

That was the best news Airi had heard all week. As soon as the medic had closed the door behind her, she sprang up, gathering what few belongings she had kept with her, and headed out the door. She didn't even give a second glance to the stuffy hospital room that had been her home for a week, practically running to just to get out into the fresh air.

She had almost made it to the outer door when someone stepped in her path. She swerved just in time to avoid hitting them, but she had to come to a complete stop so that she didn't slam straight into a wall in her avoidance.

"Hey, watch where you're—!" The person she had almost bumped into stopped short, narrowing his eyes. "Oh. It's you."

Airi looked up, meeting Kankuro's perturbed gaze. She resisted the urge to reply with sarcasm.

"Sorry. I'll be more careful in the future."

There was no point in making their conflict turn into a permanent vendetta. She turned to leave, feeling an enormous amount of relief wash over her as she hit the door, embracing the first ray of desert sunshine in what felt like ages as it fell on her face.

"Hey, hold on!"

The feeling of elation was quickly quashed by a hand falling on her shoulder.

She turned back to face Kankuro.

"Was there something else?"

"Yeah." Kankuro crossed his arms over his chest, looking decidedly uncomfortable. Airi could only guess at why that might be.

'Possibly because he almost killed you a week ago…' a voice in the back of her head chimed.

"Bumping into you was really a coincidence, actually. The council sent me here to relay a message to you."

Airi continued to walk, making him follow her, though she slowed her pace. She didn't intend disrespect; she just needed to put some distance between herself and the hospital; besides, putting a little distant between herself and the man who had almost killed her didn't exactly bother her either.

"I don't know how much Ichiro-san told you when he visited you…" Kankuro stopped, waiting for her to reply. Airi simply stopped, crossing her arms as she stared up at him.

She could see the anger building up in his face, but she couldn't quite bring herself to readily comply with him after what had happened.

"You know, that kind of required a response, don't you think, girl?" He muttered through gritted teeth.

Airi smiled wryly. "I have a name, you know. After almost killing me, you could at least have the dignity to know what it is. And in response to your awful attempt at a question, he told me only the bare minimum: that the Council was still undecided in their verdict until I had fully recovered and that I would be notified later of my next assignment."

For a moment, Airi thought he was going to hit her.

Then he swallowed, and instead of anger, she saw… guilt, in his eyes?

"Saito-san, I—I apologize. For what I did in your evaluation. It was… unnecessary, to say the least, something which has been pointed out to me repeatedly since then. If it makes you feel any better, I've gotten no end of reproach for it. If my brother were more of a talker, he'd have probably completely chewed me out…"

Kankuro shook his head. "But I'm getting off track. Look, I really am sorry. You're okay, right?"

Airi truly wanted a reason to continue hating him, but she could feel her anger receding, and the biting remarks she had been forming in response to his inevitable defense of his actions slipped away like sand through her fingers.

"I recovered well. The medics said I really should have been out for another half a week at least, but apparently the injuries weren't as bad as they thought or I have an incredibly fast recovery time. But I appreciate the apology."

"You're welcome."

They stood there for a few moments, Kankuro rubbing the back of his neck nervously and Airi waiting for him to say something further.

"So I'm guessing you were the person the Council sent to notify me of my assignment?" Airi pressed on, and that seemed to bring him back to the conversation.

"Yes, that's right." He seemed to get back to his previous train of thought, and Airi wondered at his sudden nervousness. It wasn't at all like the brash, confrontational air he had seemed to put off when she first encountered him. Now, he was hesitant, not simply ashamed.

She wondered, but didn't have the time to dwell.

"They've determined that you have a fair amount of skill and they want to put your abilities to use in the best way possible. As I'm sure you're aware, the daimyos of the Great Shinobi Nations have given their approval for an alliance to be formed against the Akatsuki. The Kazekage left to finalize details yesterday. I'll be following him shortly. They've appointed me the commander of the Ambush Company."

He paused, his brow furrowing in consternation. "The Kazekage has been named head of the entire Allied Shinobi Forces."

Airi held in her gasp. But Gaara-sama was so… young! Though she didn't doubt his leadership ability, she had to wonder how the most inexperienced of the Kages ended up in charge of the entire front.

Her shock must have shown on her face.

"We were rather surprised too," Kankuro admitted, "no one more than Gaara himself. But I'm getting off subject again.

"In short, the Council wanted me to inform you that you've been asked to join the Allied Shinobi forces as a bodyguard to the Kazekage. You'll be directly under his command, and you will take any orders he gives without question. It's probably a lot like your old position with the daimyo, just more active combat."

He paused for a moment, glancing at the ground before meeting her eyes. For a second, she thought she saw something that looked like admiration.

"They said you have an option in this. After all, it is at your peril, and Gaara has specified that none of the people assigned to his guard be forced to put their lives on the line for him without some choice in the matter. If you don't wish to serve as his bodyguard, you'll be assigned to the close-midrange fighter division, under the command of Ha—"

"I accept the appointment."

Kankuro stopped abruptly, a little shocked at her quick agreement. "What?"

"I said I accept the appointment. It would be my honor to protect the Kazekage.

Kankuro nodded slowly. "I'll… let them know. You'll be traveling to the rendezvous point with the last of us tomorrow morning. That should be enough time to get all your affairs in order, right?"

"Of course." Airi smiled grimly. "Thank you for letting me know. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Right."

Airi began walking, though she knew he was still standing there. She slowed her pace a little, waiting for—

"Saito-san?"

She turned back. "Just Airi is fine. What is it?"

"Please…" He paused. "Just take care of my brother. I know it sounds like weakness, but I couldn't bear to see something happen to him. He's become... such a support for all of us. I fear not just for myself, but for the entire village, if he were to get hurt."

Airi bit her lip, wondering how a years-old wound could still feel so fresh.

"I swear to you, on everything that I hold dear and my honor as a shinobi, I will do everything in my power to protect the Kazekage."

She met his eyes, gaze steady. "To protect your brother."

* * *

_A/N: Alright, so you've probably noticed this one didn't have a flashback. Consider this a transition point in the story. In the next chapter, I'll go back to the flashbacks, but they'll be slightly different than the previous ones. On the suggestion of one of my reviewers, the scene where Gaara comes to see Airi in the hospital, as well as other scenes which are more current, will be covered in flashbacks. Thanks to Big Sister for the idea!_

_Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Soon enough, we'll be getting to the part with Gaara's amazing speech to the Allied Shinobi forces, which should be a pretty interesting chapter! :) Read and review, please, and once again, thanks to my faithful reviewers!_

- Senka Hitomi


	10. Someone to Watch Over Me

_Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Working on the plan to change that though... just kidding. Really. I don't own it._

_Sorry this chapter is so late everyone, but I promise to try to be more prompt with the next few updates!_

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"You're all rather early…" the Raikage looked around at all of them, dark eyes scanning around the table and coming to rest on Gaara.

"This situation demands our immediate attention, after all." Gaara replied; he could have sworn he saw the Raikage's frown deepen just the slightest bit.

This was going to be a _long_ meeting.

* * *

The site was bustling when they arrived. It looked like the daimyo's residence before an important diplomatic conference, Airi mused.

'Diplomatic conference… I suppose you could call a war a "diplomatic conference" in loose terms,' she thought wryly.

Her grim musings were interrupted as a hand fell on her shoulder.

Airi turned back to see Kankuro standing at her side. He studied her seriously, crossing his arms. "Are you prepared?"

She took a moment more to watch the chaos of the preparations, then turned back, nodding.

"I'm ready."

"I'll be leading you to where the Kazekage is, then I have to go find my own company and whip them into shape."

He smirked dryly, talking more to himself than truly to her as they walked. "Honestly, we should've been gone three days ago, but that just didn't happen. We've just gotta hope it doesn't cost us in the long run."

Airi nodded again, not knowing how else to respond. War was as new to her as it was to most of the younger generation, who had never known a time without a relative peace. Certainly not a time with the entire shinobi world at war. That idea in itself was daunting.

Kankuro had continued talking, and Airi was sure she should be listening; after all, it wouldn't do to worsen their relations after they had just taken such an abrupt turn for the better, but she just had too much on her mind to concentrate.

All that she could see running through her head were old defense strategies, scares they had experienced with the daimyo… what would happen if she were to fail in her promise.

That last thought made her stomach turn. Not just the idea of not succeeding, but the idea of letting down the entire village… no. The Great Shinobi Nations. After all, the Kazekage was commander of their forces, wasn't he? If she failed in her job… she didn't even want to _consider_ the consequences.

She had made a promise. Not just a promise to Kankuro, but long ago, when the naïveté of childhood had still clouded her views: to protect the defenseless. And by protecting the Kazekage, wasn't she doing just that? Certainly, he himself was no longer defenseless, despite how her childish mind might have viewed him all those many years ago when she had seen him as a child struggling for control with a monster in his body… but now, he _was_ the protection for the defenseless.

Airi had heard the stories of what had happened since she had left. Gaara had been willing to sacrifice his life—**had** sacrificed his life— to protect the village. If she failed, they would be losing the best and most well-loved Kazekage Suna had ever known.

And some part of her was still that child who admired the triumph of the person within the monster, and wondered if there was yet hope for the world.

"Airi-san? Are you alright?"

She glanced over at Kankuro, who had stopped walking, and she noticed that it was because she herself had completely stopped in the middle of the path.

"All of the color just drained from your face all of a sudden. Are you alright? Do I need to go find a medic? Maybe they released you from the hospital too soo—"

"No, no." Airi cut him off, laughing nervously. "I just got lost in my thoughts. Ran across some bad memories. Nothing to worry about. I feel fine."

Kankuro relaxed slightly, but Airi couldn't help but note that he was still slightly skeptical. "You sure?"

Airi smiled. "Absolutely."

* * *

With all final meetings finished, there was nothing left to do, except to come to terms with the plunging realization that the war was upon them. Gaara stood before the crowd, surveying the massed force of the Allied Shinobi Nations. The forces stretched out to the horizon line, and for a moment, confidence surged in him. With a force like this, committed to saving the Shinobi world… they just might have a chance.

A spike in his chakra concentration alerted Gaara to the presence of someone behind him. The sand swirled at his feet, ready to form the Ultimate Defense at the first sign of danger.

He half-turned, and was met by a solid indigo gaze.

Airi inclined her head. "Kazekage-sama."

Gaara relaxed slightly, and he could feel the sand around his ankle receding. "I trust that you're fully recovered."

It was not really a question, but Airi nodded nonetheless, straightening to meet his gaze once again.

Gaara studied her for a moment, and it was all she could do not to squirm under the scrutiny of his bright green eyes; he seemed to see straight through any front that she might have put up.

"Kazekage-sama."

A calm voice belonging to a man with silver hair drew the Kazekage away and Airi allowed herself to breath again. She could feel her pulse pounding through her entire body and she wondered what had triggered this strange response.

It wasn't quite fear; she was certain of that. She had never truly had fear for the Kazekage even when he had been the vessel of a terrible monster, at least not the kind that one typically had in such a situation. Now, it was more of a strange churning in her stomach and a nervous flittering in her chest, one that left her speechless.

She didn't care to examine the implications of what this might mean. There were far more important matters at hand, and assumptions were never the friend of a shinobi.

Airi passed it off as no more than nervousness at the acquisition of her new mission and faded in the background, clutching her summoned uchigatana tightly.

She would protect him, no matter what.

* * *

Gaara took another look out at the men and women before him. Now that he examined it more closely, he could see small fights breaking out, clashes of nations, and he resisted the urge to frown.

This was not going to be as easy as it might seem. Of course, he considered, war was never easy, but he had accepted this commission regardless. Despite his misgivings, he refused to back down at such a pivotal moment.

However, even with Gaara's best efforts, apparently the general standing beside him, Hatake Kakashi, could still tell that he was nervous.

The man who had been the teacher of the shinobi who had saved Gaara's life—and his purpose for living— examined him carefully, finally saying quietly.

"Being our Commander General, I think you should try to relax and say a few words, Gaara-kun."

Gaara swallowed, and began to speak.

* * *

"_Saito Airi? Hmm…" The girl at the desk was obviously a trainee, Gaara thought with annoyance, because she didn't seem to know __**anything**__. He had been in the hospital for a good ten minutes now, at the very least, and he was only just now getting the point across that he was coming to see the girl who had been admitted three days ago after the fight that half of Suna had seen. _

"_Ah, here she is!" The little blonde girl smiled prettily, holding up the folder that held Airi's information. "I can show you to the room that she's been placed in, Kazekage-sama."_

_She punctuated his title with a sickly sweetness, and Gaara truly had to resist the urge to use Sand Coffin on the girl. Were all of the people on the hospital staff this incompetent?_

"_That won't be necessary. If you could just tell me the room number, I'm sure I can find it on my own." _

_The girl did not seem to take the hint. "Are you sure? I know exactly where it's at."_

"_I can find it, I assure you."_

_The girl's face fell, and she frowned, opening the folder in front of her. "203. It's upstairs, second door on the left."_

_Gaara held in a sigh of relief. Finally. _

"_Thank you. I appreciate it."_

_He walked down the hall as quickly as he possibly could without seeming rude. _

_The trainee leaned over the counter, calling after him: "Of course, anything for you, Kazekage-sama! If you need anything else, be sure to come back and find me._

_Gaara practically ran up the stairs. _

_Gaara knocked at the door before entering, but no reply came from within. He had been half-expecting that. The medics had reported to him that she had been sleeping for much of the time since she had been admitted. _

_He opened the door just slightly, peering in._

_Airi was curled up on the bed, her honey-colored hair splayed out across the pillow in disarray. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was opened just the slightest bit, so that every once in a while, a soft sigh of air escaped between pale lips. _

_Gaara was unsure of what to do. He certainly didn't want to wake her; after taking a blow like that, she needed all the rest she could get. However, he couldn't seem to draw himself away either._

_Instead, he took a seat in the chair at the corner of the room. If she didn't wake soon, he wouldn't stay, but for now, it at least gave him some time to think. He'd had precious little of that lately with all the preparations to be made._

_He still couldn't stop his mind from running through all the normal conventions, but there was something serene about sitting in a quiet, sterile room, all but alone with his thoughts. _

_Gaara spared a glance over at Airi's sleeping form. She was incredibly pale, but all other signs indicated that she was recovering well enough. _

_He hadn't talked to Kankuro for almost a full day following the assessment. Certainly, it wasn't particularly unusual for Gaara to be so quiet, but Kankuro had been fully aware of the reasoning behind it. The apology had come quickly enough, but forgiveness had only been bought with the condition that he later make a sincere apology to the one who had been injured as well. _

_Kankuro, surprisingly, had agreed quite readily. Gaara wasn't always good at reading people, but he could see the guilt written all over his brother's face, which made it easier to forgive._

_Still, Gaara considered, there was little room in this world for more senseless violence. Gaara had experienced—had caused—more than his share of it in his short lifetime, and he didn't care to see anymore. _

_Airi stirred a little in her sleep, and Gaara started, hoping that nothing he had done had woken her, but she simply shifted a little and continued to doze, seemingly oblivious to his presence._

_

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A/N: Once again, I love reviews, so please leave me something, even if it's just a few words! Hope you all liked the chapter. Next is the big speech. :) _


	11. Gaara's Speech

_Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-san. _

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Airi could feel the tension in the air growing thicker by the minute, as was indicated by the scene unfolding in the crowd below. Already, she had glimpsed the restlessness in their faces, had heard the murmurs of doubt at having such a young Commander. Despite herself, she was harboring a growing doubt that had formed into a cold lump in the pit of her stomach.

Certainly, the Kazekage was strong, but what was a Commander without an army who had confidence in his ability to lead?

The silver-haired shinobi who had drawn the Kazekage away earlier leaned over to say something to him, and she noticed him tense up just slightly before turning to face the massed forces.

Somewhere out in the crowd, she noticed a fight breaking out. Two shinobi had begun an all out brawl; one of them, she noted with disdain, was from her own village.

The fight was silenced rather quickly when a wall of sand exploded between the two shinobi, throwing both of them back so violently that they practically barreled into the men standing next to them.

"Three times now, we've fought wars for our own nations, our own villages."

For a moment, the voice rang out so clearly that Airi was unsure who was speaking. The crowd was silenced in almost an instant, as they turned to face their young commander.

Gaara stared them down, demanding their attention.

"We've hurt one another. We've hated one another. That hatred bred a lust for power, and that lust for power created **me**."

If there hadn't been complete silence before, there was no doubt that there was now. They were transfixed as they watched him, a mix between fear and anticipation flashing across their vision.

"And I hated this world, and all the people in it. I wanted to destroy it with my own hands. The exact same thing the Akatsuki is trying to do today."

The frankness was enough to make Airi suppress a shiver. The shinobi of Suna could truly appreciate that comparison. Many of them had seen the Kazekage at his worst. To imagine an entire organization controlled by such hatred… she couldn't even begin to fathom it.

"But one man, one ninja from Konoha stopped me."

At this point, the Kazekage hesitated, and he closed his eyes, so that for a moment, all Airi could see was the raw emotion that played across his face, as much as he ever showed. However, in that one expression, Airi recognized an indescribable pain, something to which the worst agony she had ever experienced could not even come close. It took all of her strength as a shinobi not to move to his side.

Then he looked up.

"I was his enemy, yet he _wept _for me. I hurt him, yet he called me his friend. He saved me! My enemy, my fellow Jinchuriki… he suffered the same pain as me, yet bore no ill will!"

There was no doubt that every eye was fixated on him. The crowd was hanging on every word that issued from his mouth, on every raw truth that he uttered. Airi felt the beginnings of a smile play around her lips. They were truly _listening_.

"There are no enemies here," His voice had risen to a shout, but it was not out of anger or even malice; it was no less than simple determination. "because we've all suffered at the Akatsuki's hand. So there is no Suna, no Iwa, no Konoha, no Kiri and no Kumo! There are only Shinobi!

"And if you still hold a grudge against Suna, then when this war is over, come and take my head instead!"

Airi's hand instinctively moved to her uchigatana. Perhaps it was good for the purposes of a convincing speech, but she had no intention of letting _anyone_ harm the Kazekage, now or later.

"Our enemies are after the friend who saved my life! If they take him…" He paused, reconsidering his statement. "If _we_ hand him over, our world is finished."

Gaara spread his hands, his sharp green eyes sweeping out over the crowd. "I want to protect him and I want to protect our world! But I'm too young to protect it all on my own! All of you, lend me your aid!"

Airi had never heard such a deafening cry of support.

"Everyone who's with me, let's go!"

Even when he turned back from the crowd, they still cheered, and Airi could have sworn that the echo could be heard for miles.

Airi bit her lip to force back the smile as the Kazekage walked past.

For a split second, he paused at her side. He opened his mouth, as though he were about to say something, then thought better of it, and continued walking.

Airi felt her stomach somersault, and that singular feeling caused her to experience more fear than any battle, more than any threat of death had ever made her feel.

It was a lesson her father had always taught her, she recalled.

The memory of a sharp hit that had sent her flying into the dust during her training brought the memory to light.

"_You let it become personal. If you hadn't been so concerned about protecting your own interests, you would have seen that coming_. _Don't ever let your duty become personal_. _If you lose your detachment, you can lose everything_."

She could only hope that he had been wrong.

_Gaara's eyes fluttered open to a stark white room._

"_Where…?" _

_Realization struck him suddenly. He sprung out of the seat, before he realized that he should be taking care not to wake the person in whose room he found himself. _

_Gaara looked over to see that Airi, fortunately, was still sleeping soundly. He moved to the side of her hospital bed, just to be certain he hadn't disturbed her. _

_She had shifted since he had apparently fall asleep; her forehead was furrowed in consternation, as though she was dreaming, and her arms were curled around her torso, as though she was…_

'_Cold,' he realized. 'With just that thin sheet, she must be freezing.'_

_He glanced around the room, eyes finally falling on an extra blanket folded into a basket near the door. He pulled it out, handling it like glass as he unfolded and brought it over to her. _

_He hesitated as he went to spread it over her. What if she awoke? While many people were accustomed to the changes that had been wrought in the Kazekage over the past few years, she had been gone for a considerable amount of time. Perhaps her memories of him were still those of a monster, one you wouldn't want to see upon first waking…_

'_But she didn't even stir when I jumped up a moment ago,' he considered. Overcoming the hesitation, he placed the blanket over her as gently as he possibly could. His hand brushed over her shoulder as he let the sheet fall. _

_Airi mumbled softly for a moment, but remained asleep. Her expression relaxed noticeably._

_Gaara looked up at the clock. Falling asleep had caused him to leave his office unattended for far too long and he had too many things that needed his attention. _

_He moved to the door, resting a hand on the handle. _

_Something made him turn around one more time and glance back at her._

_A strange feeling was pooling at the pit of his stomach, but he didn't know what to call it. The only thing he could think was that she was serene in sleep, not plagued by that strange sadness that she always seemed to have in consciousness._

'_She's rather… pretty.' He realized, the sudden realization coming as a bit of a shock to his system._

_Gaara exited as quietly as he had entered, easing the door closed behind him._

_

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A/N: That may just be my absolute favorite chapter from the manga, so I hope you all enjoyed my adaptation of it. There should be more chapters to come soon, I hope! Read & enjoy, and review, if you would. Once again, I thank you all for taking the time to read. _


	12. Legacies

_A/N: This chapter is dedicated as a present to my dear long-lost twin, Wroathe. (For Tenten day. :D) Your amazing reviews and encouragement inspire me to continue, despite the fact that you are not as huge of a Gaara fan as I am. (I shall teach you, though...)_

_Oh, I don't own Naruto. _

* * *

Airi landed silently next to the Kazekage, waiting on his signal. She barely dared to breathe audibly, much less speak.

They had only been deployed for a mere four hours, yet she already felt like it had been days. Every movement made came with hesitation, heavy with the possibility of a trap or sudden death… or even capture, inevitably followed by a slow, lingering death.

That thought was worse… so much worse.

Airi watched Gaara carefully; he had suddenly become tense, his bright green eyes visibly darkening. The change was so subtle that most people would not even have noticed it, but Airi had far too much experience with judging expression to let such a thing escape her notice.

"Signal the scouts to contact Temari and Shikamaru," he mumbled softly. "We need to pause here. Something doesn't seem right."

Airi pulled out a scroll, dashed some characters across it and formed the hand seals to send them off. It would notify the perimeter guards, as well as the scouts at the head of the force, that it was best to be careful here.

She waited patiently for the affirmative signal, dividing her attention between the scroll in front of her and the sullen man to her left. She almost opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but she remembered her place just in time, biting her tongue to keep the words from slipping out.

She must have moved visibly in her effort to keep quiet because Gaara's attention flickered to her for a moment, his green eyes seeming to look straight through her without giving any sign of what lay in their depths. For a second, she thought she saw his mouth twitch up at the corners in what might have been an attempt at a reassuring smile, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

About that time, the signal came back from both of the perimeter guards, shortly followed by the forward scouts, who would have notified Shikamaru and Temari.

"All received." She told the Kazekage quietly, and he nodded absently, scanning between the trees.

"Did Shikamaru give any further suggestions?"

Airi scanned the page. It was mostly cursory response, but the last message received had an unfamiliar handwriting tacked to the bottom. She assumed it must be that of the Leaf strategist.

"If you don't think it a direct danger, he suggests that we pause here to check supplies."

Gaara looked at the scroll, frowning slightly. "Nothing more?"

Airi scanned it once more to be certain. "That's all."

"He must think it is safe here then. I will trust his judgment. I think it best that we wait anyway."

Gaara stood, surveying the area more directly. Finally, he turned back to Airi.

"Your technique with the wall of wind… does it always require such turbulent forces to be generated?"

Airi smiled slightly, clasping her hands into the first seal. "How large does the barrier need to be?"

* * *

Two hours later, Airi sat in the center of the clearing, balancing her concentration between maintaining the wind barrier and watching the Kazekage as he paced in a large circle around her.

"That odd chakra has receded."

Airi looked up at the Kazekage, who had stopped in his path around the circle, and her barrier wavered just the slightest bit. "Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara looked at her for a moment with what could almost have passed for trepidation in anyone else. He seemed to be about to continue to speak about the chakra he had sensed, but instead he said something that left Airi entirely off-guard.

"Your father… he died on the mission to Konoha?"

Airi was taken aback for a moment. That tragedy had been so rarely mentioned in her family, and even in the village in general, that it sometimes seemed as though it had been erased from her past; the sudden reinsertion of it never failed to leave her slightly speechless.

"Y-yes." She managed slowly. When Gaara did not speak further, but continued to stare, she found herself speaking again.

"He was, ironically, one of your father's bodyguards. My father was the one who trained me in the ways of the Shinobi before he died, so I suppose it is not completely a surprise that I took a similar route. After my father died, my brother oversaw what was left of my training."

Airi found tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. For a moment, she couldn't recall if she had ever cried following his death; too much time had been spent on other matters to take time to grieve.

"He would have been proud to die in the service of your father." she added, quietly, her mind slowly forming a mental image of the steady, devoted man she had once both idolized and reviled. It was grainy, at best, and that hurt worse than any sting from his death yet.

"I would like to be able to say that my father would have been proud of his service…" Gaara began, pacing slowly in front of her. "…but I cannot claim to know very much about him. It is a strange thing, to know so little about one you are bonded with by blood."

The Kazekage stopped in his tracks, and Airi wasn't quite sure if he was even still talking to her until he turned his green-eyed gaze back in her direction.

"I wish I had known a bit more about him." Gaara hesitated, turning slightly away from her. "I cannot say I agree with the decisions that he made, but he is said to have done what he thought was best for the village… in times like these, I sometimes wonder if I am upholding that legacy."

Airi jumped up, letting the barrier waver only the slightest bit as she did. The words rising through her chest took form on her tongue and she was unable to stop her thoughts from flowing out.

"Kazekage-sama, perhaps it is not my place to say so, but I feel I should nonetheless. You certainly do justice to your father's legacy in that respect and far surpass him in others. You would have sacrificed your life for Suna if that had been the cost to save it when the Akatsuki came for you. You may not always see it, but in the eyes of the people you have gone from an object of fear to one of adoration.

"It may seem foolish to go to war. Perhaps you doubt because of your youth compared to the other Kages, but they chose _you_ to lead the Joint Shinobi Forces. They trust you to make the correct decisions, just as the people of Suna do. That trust is not unfounded. With the speech that you made, you dissolved the barriers of village and united us as people fighting for the peace of our world!"

Airi paused, unable to make herself meet his eyes though she could feel his stare as it passed over her.

"There may be fear of the war in our ranks… but no one doubts that you are doing what is best for Suna and for the Shinobi world, Gaara-sama."

The silence was heavy on the air, and Airi had to fight to keep the fear that she had overstepped her bounds suppressed.

It had needed to be said.

Gaara began to pace in a circle again. Airi sat back down, placing all her focus on the barrier. Perhaps this whole conversation would just fade away, never mentioned by either of them again. She tried not to give into the sinking feeling that such a prospect left her with.

She became so absorbed in the maintenance of the barrier that she almost didn't catch it when Gaara spoke again.

"I didn't know your father well either… but I think he would be very proud of your service to your nation."

* * *

_Airi slowly came back to consciousness only to realize that there was rhythmic breathing coming from the corner of the room. She didn't dare to move or even open her eyes, frozen in place as she listened. She had been in and out of consciousness for the better part of three days, but she had never woken to find someone else in the room. _

_Who would even have come to visit her here? She had no friends in Suna, not anymore. _

_She slowly ventured to open one eye, and what she saw was not at all what she had expected. _

_Upon her first glance, she was met with a flash of bright red hair and the etching of a blood-red tattoo on a pale forehead. _

_Slowly, Airi raised herself up, peering over at the figure slumped in the chair. _

_The full sight brought a small grin to her face. Gaara was completely unguarded in sleep; his mouth hung open and his face had an almost innocent quality to it. _

_She didn't dare move closer to him, but she found herself unable to tear her gaze away from him. In sleep, he was like a completely different person; all the burdens that he wore so heavily had been set aside. _

_Airi had to quell the compulsion to reach out and touch him. The chair was not far from the end of the cot, and if she was careful she could have just reached out and brushed back the stray lock of hair that had fallen over his face. _

_But, she reminded herself, he was the Kazekage and she was only a simple shinobi of Suna. It was not and would never be her place to be anywhere near him. _

_And yet… he was here. Why was he here?_

_Too many thoughts churned in her head to contemplate while still recovering, so she crawled back under the thin sheet they had provided her and tried to banish him from her mind. _

_She was just drifting off when she heard a noise from the corner of the room. She kept her breathing regular as she heard him jump up – apparently he had not intended to stay quite so long. _

_His footsteps were light over the tile floor, but she could see through her eyelids when the light darkened as his form moved close to the side of the bed. He remained there for only a few moments and when he moved away, Airi felt her stomach unclench just the slightest bit. _

_But it wasn't out of fear._

_She allowed herself to slip back into the realm of dreams, only to have to keep herself from jumping as something gently touched her shoulder. However, it was gone as quickly as it had come and she passed it off as nothing more than a lucid dream. _

"_Just a dream…" she mumbled, curling up further. She smiled slightly at the sudden warmth that had enveloped her, almost as though someone had placed another blanket over her._

_She slept the rest of the day in peace, her slumber punctuated by dreams of bright eyes._

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_A/N: So, to all of my readers, I am so terribly sorry for how late this update is! I promise to do better in the future. But thank you to my lovely readers and reviewers. You all are wonderful, and I hope you continue to enjoy my writing. _


	13. Frozen

Note de l'auteur: Je ne posséde pas Naruto.

* * *

It had already reached nightfall by the time all the reports came back and Gaara cleared the unit to move out.

Airi wasn't certain why it had taken so long for a stop that was only supposed to be a routine supply check, but it wasn't her place to question. She was merely glad to have the chance to rid herself of the restless energy that had been building up inside of her since her conversation with the Kazekage a few hours earlier. Since then, Gaara had lapsed back into silence, his movements lithe and directed as he made his way across the terrain.

As the daylight waned, the temperature dropped steadily, and Airi found her standard flack jacket was little protection against the cool night air. It became increasingly difficult to ignore the goose bumps that popped up on her arms, but she managed to keep her discomfort silenced, unwilling to become a burden to the person she was supposed to be protecting.

Gaara came to an abrupt halt again and Airi immediately pulled out the contact scroll, poised to relay the message to the scouts within the unit.

"Tell them to start spreading out along the border. This is where we begin."

The message was sent almost as soon as the words exited his mouth.

Now, it was simply waiting. The division would need some time to properly align themselves, which meant Airi had more time to her thoughts.

_The last thing I need_, she thought wryly.

In her preoccupation, Airi had failed to note the Kazekage's increasing agitation. He paced more feverishly than before as they waited, his eyes scanning back and forth as though he were reading something that wasn't able to be seen by anyone else. As she slowly caught onto the behavior, she watched him, veiling the puzzlement that she was sure would have been written all over her face.

After what seemed like ages, she ventured a hesitant "Kazekage-sama?" only to be met by silence.

It was as though he hadn't even heard her.

She debated internally what there was to be done. She could just let him continue to pace, but that didn't seem like the wisest idea. Then again, attempting to get his attention seemed to be even more of a hazard…

Airi swallowed the rising fear in her gut and walked toward him slowly, making sure he could see her coming. As he passed by in another of his rounds of pacing, she laid a hand on his shoulder.

That was certainly enough to bring him out of his anxiety.

The Kazekage snapped back around, his eyes wary for a moment before they focused on Airi and softened slightly. For one unguarded moment, she held his full attention and saw something in his eyes that shocked her.

It looked almost like… admiration.

She pulled her hand away slowly.

"Gaara-sama."

"I apologize." He murmured, taking a few small steps away from her. Airi felt her heart sink at the sudden distance between them.

She bit her lip anxiously. This was getting worse by the second. _Why_ couldn't she shake this feeling?

"I was thinking of something else. Did you need my attention?"

"I was simply wondering if something was troubling you. If think there is a threat…" She left the statement open-ended, waiting for his reaction.

Gaara nodded slowly. "It is possible. I'm sensing the same chakra I detected earlier, only it is much stronger now, and it is… difficult to explain."

With that ambiguous statement hanging on the air, he stopped again and his gaze was distant. Airi was fairly certain she had lost his attention again.

But that assumption swiftly proved to be wrong; Gaara drew himself out of the thoughts shortly after. "I'll need to go on a scouting mission first thing tomorrow morning. I'll need you to stay here and monitor the troop movement; send me any reports of note. I'll have Shikamaru and Temari accompany me to the location I need to check."

Airi hesitated. As his bodyguard and a shinobi of Suna, she honestly wasn't sure whether to disregard his order and go to protect him anyway or stay and do as he had told her.

"Can you relay that information to Shikamaru?"

Airi nodded, pulling out the scroll again. Well, at the very least, if Shikamaru and Temari knew, he should conceivably be safe, although the idea of letting the Kazekage go on a scouting mission relatively unprotected still didn't sit well with her.

She finished the message, rubbing her fingers together to get some of the warmth back into them. They were almost purple at the tips, unprotected in her fingerless gloves. Now that they had stopped, the cold was all the more apparent and it was getting increasingly more difficult to hide the miniscule shivers that were plaguing her.

_It's pathetic for a shinobi to be so limited by something as trifling as the weather, _she considered, but as a resident of Suna, she had become conditioned to the stifling dry heat, not this ridiculous cold.

A response to the message came back quickly; Shikamaru's concise script agreed to the mission, saying they would report first thing in the morning.

As she read over the message, a strange feeling crept over her that made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She turned back to the Kazekage to report the information to him, only to find he was staring at her strangely.

'Kazekage-sama,' she prepared to say, but she didn't get it out before Gaara spoke.

"You're cold." He stated matter-of-factly, with the strange look still on his face. Airi finally determined that it must be puzzlement, which would explain why it seemed so out of place as an expression for the Kazekage.

She fought down a small ironic smile that threatened to turn up the corners of her lips. "Yes, Kazekage-sama. I'm not quite used to this kind of weather just yet."

Gaara stared at her for a moment longer, then turned away. Airi couldn't see what he was doing, so she simply waited. When he turned back, he had a neatly folded standard-issue blanket in his hands.

"We'll probably remain here until morning. You can use this." He held it out to her, watching her patiently as she processed.

Seeing her reaction still stalled, he added: "It won't do me much good to have a frozen bodyguard."

Airi covered her mouth as quickly as was humanly possible, but she couldn't contain the sudden laughter that seized her. She kept it subdued to limit the noise, but it shook her whole frame, and tears began to well at the corner of her eyes.

When she had sufficiently recovered, she found that Gaara was staring at her with even more confusion than before. His hands had lowered somewhat, as if he was uncertain whether she was laughing at his offer or something else entirely.

Airi placed her hands across the top of the blanket, smiling softly. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama."

She looked down, letting a last small chuckle escape her as she took the blanket from him. "I truly hope you don't think I was laughing at you. It was just the situation… you made that last statement with such sincerity… it prompted the image of me truly being frozen and I thought it was funny."

He still looked at her somewhat skeptically, but the small signs of worry in his face had receded slightly. "I see."

She sobered quickly, setting the blanket aside for a moment. "I didn't mean to offend you, really. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed."

Gaara looked down at his hands and Airi wasn't sure what to do. She had obviously overstepped her bounds.

"I suppose it's just more difficult for me to understand." He began quietly, not looking up at her. "I don't seem to have much of a sense of humor."

Airi unfolded the blanket carefully and threw it around her shoulders. "Well, even without that, I'm sure you can recognize the irony. You meant the statement figuratively, but taken literally, it's humorous because, well…"

She paused, looking up at him with a look of bemusement. "I'm not terribly good at explaining this, am I?"

Gaara looked her squarely in the face and did something she would never have expected.

He smiled.

It was only slight, a little quirk at the corners of the mouth that vanished as quickly as it had come, but there was no denying that it had been a smile. "Not really."

Airi lowered her head bashfully, but she found a smile creeping onto her own face. "Well… I tried."

As Airi stared down at her hands, a movement at the corner of her vision caught her eye. Tiny particles of sand were coalescing into a visible stream that moved to fold around her wrist and lift her hand up slightly. She watched the progression with interest, too transfixed to pull her hand away.

Finally, the sand receded and Airi's hand dropped—

—right into Gaara's outstretched palm.

All joking aside, Airi was frozen. She was suddenly aware of every breath that passed through her lungs, conscious of every fluttering heartbeat that made the blood pound through her head.

Gaara examined her hand, turning it over and seemingly inspecting it before letting it slip away.

Airi could only watch, suddenly quite fully aware of why she had been so consumed by her thoughts recently.

"You seem warmer." Gaara said, nodding to himself. "Good."

Even as their conversation lapsed into silence, Airi knew she would be getting very little sleep that night.

* * *

A/N: Bonjour, mes amis! Je suis desol... Wow... too much school this week. Alright. Well, hello everyone. Once again, I apologize for the not-so-prompt update. C'est la vie. Gets in the way of my writing, sadly. I will make a valiant attempt to update more frequently in the next few weeks, but I make no guarantees.

Also, I apologize for the marked lack of action in the last few chapters, but I'm attempting to transition before I get back to the main event - which should, in fact, be showing up in the next chapter or so. In any case, I hope you all enjoy. Leave reviews if you would like; they make me incredibly happy. I hope this chapter isn't disappointing and, as always, I appreciate all of the wonderful people who take the time to read my work!

Oh, and kudos to anyone who can guess what the weird chakra that Gaara keeps sensing is.


	14. Into the Fray

_Traditional disclaimer, I don't own, yada yada... Enjoy. :)_

* * *

Airi blinked blearily, her eyes adjusting to the semi-darkness of dawn.

"Yo."

She turned her head, meeting a pair of almost-black eyes that stared at her disinterestedly from across the clearing.

"About time you woke up."

Airi frowned at the man, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "If it was such a problem, you could have woken me."

The shinobi shrugged and stretched, folding his hands behind his head. "Tch. Too much trouble."

That brought Airi to full awareness. "What? Unless that band on your arm is just for show, you're a shinobi. What kind of answer is that?"

The man smiled slightly, letting a small chuckle slip. "You obviously don't know who I am, do you?"

Airi frowned, refolding the blanket she had wrapped around herself and beginning to pack what few supplies were not already stored away in the satchel strapped across her back.

"I suppose not." As she packed, she casually slipped a hand into her pocket, reassured by the cold metal that met her palm. The man may have looked like a shinobi and been wearing the symbol of the Alliance, but there could be no guarantees in a war like this. Gaara would already be gone on the scouting mission, while Airi was still under orders to stay put. She wasn't about to walk into a trap as soon as the Kazekage was gone.

"Well, state your name." She finished packing and stared pointedly at him, hands on her hips.

"Is that any way to address a superior?"

Airi's expression slowly morphed to one of incredulity. "_You_… are Nara Shikamaru?"

The thought that the lazy man sitting before her was one of the most brilliant minds in the shinobi realm would normally have been enough to make her laugh, but then another realization hit her.

"Wait… you were supposed to be with the Kazekage on his mission today."

Airi wasn't sure she had ever moved so fast before in her life as she did gathering the last few things. Just as she planted her foot to take off in the direction Gaara had indicated, a hand fell on her shoulder, anchoring her to the ground.

"Hey. Slow down. Don't start panicking on me. The Kazekage is just fine; he just decided it would be better for Temari to accompany him. The Tsuchikage is supposed to be meeting them there."

Airi turned back around. _The Tsuchikage? What was really going on?_

"Meanwhile," Shikamaru continued, "you and I have some other business to attend to. Come on."

Airi followed him reluctantly, consciously monitoring her breathing to slow the adrenaline that was now flowing steadily through her veins. This situation just seemed to get worse and worse, and she couldn't help but think that she was somehow failing in her duty.

"What is our mission for the day?"

Shikamaru threw a scroll back toward her, which she caught and opened.

"Our division is getting ready to move into formation. We'll be doing reconnaissance along the border, marked by the green path along the bottom. Point B is where we branch. I'll be heading to the main battle site and you'll be meeting back with the Kazekage, but that won't be until around midday. Temari will be meeting you at the checkpoint at C and you'll need to relay a status report back around that time. Got it?"

"Simple enough." She folded the scroll back up and reached forward to hand it to him, but Shikamaru shook his head.

"If you've memorized it, destroy it. Can't risk that getting lost."

Airi nodded. She formed a few hand seals and water pooled in the hand that held the scroll. In a few moments, the scroll was no more than a few soggy shreds with ruined ink.

Shikamaru glanced back at her, smirking. "That's one way to take care of it, I suppose. Slightly unorthodox."

Airi shrugged. "It's about the only jutsu I can manage with water, but it has its uses."

Shikamaru gave no response. Airi took that as a sign that their conversation was finished for the moment. At least the Nara man was more responsive than the Kazekage had been, but Airi almost found herself wishing for the comfortable silence that she and Gaara had established over the past few days. The thought left a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she pushed the thought out of her head. For now, she had to focus.

* * *

The sun was arching along the sky when Shikamaru came to a sudden stop. Airi fell into place beside him, just as a scroll pack at her side began to smoke.

She whipped it out of the case.

"Did you just get the same report that I did?" Shikamaru's question was delivered with a small hint of panic in his voice.

Airi scanned the scroll as fast as she could, her eyes growing wider by the second. As she reached the end, she looked up to meet Shikamaru's level gaze.

"What does this mean?"

Shikamaru shook his head, spreading his hands wide. "It means that we have to split up sooner than I intended."

Airi glanced over the message once again, just to make sure she had correctly interpreted the messy scrawl across the page.

'Sudden influx, major battlefield, all unengaged combatants needed.'

"If they're moving in on the major battlefield, that's got to be some kind of distraction. They're directing our attention there…"

"… to keep us from paying attention to what is truly going on." Airi finished, biting her lip. "I've got to go to Gaara-sama."

Airi was too distracted by the situation to notice the look of approval on Shikamaru's face when she finished his thought, as well as his slight smirk when she went with the slightly more familiar title.

"Right. I've got to pick up speed toward the battlefield. My team needs me out there." He spoke quietly into the radio at his ear, then turned back to her.

"You know the way?"

Airi nodded curtly. "My sense of direction is good enough."

"Good." Shikamaru turned back, readying himself to head off, but he paused.

"Good luck," he added.

"You too."

With that, the two shinobi parted, each racing toward a swarming battlefield.

* * *

Airi was practically flying. Little bursts of chakra-enhanced wind sped her along and she took the most direct route she could find, until the noises of battle first hit her ears.

So the battle was ongoing where the Kazekage was as well.

That only made her travel all the faster.

Even as quickly as she progressed, it seemed like ages before the battlefield even came into view.

Whoever said war was chaos had not exaggerated. All that could be seen to the edges of her vision was clashing swords and kunai, blood spattering across the barren landscape… it was horrifying.

But she had no time to dwell on that.

She scanned across searching for any sign of the Kazekage. A swirl of sand and a flash of red hair. _There_.

Airi ran like she had been set aflame.

* * *

_A/N: Well, that was somewhat short, sweet and to the point. As I mentioned last chapter, we're getting back into the action of the war, so expect that through the next few chapters. I've been hitting a bit of a writer's block recently, so if you have any suggestions for me, feel free to voice them, as well as any criticism and praise. :) Thank you to my lovely readers, as usual. In case I don't tell you enough, you all are wonderful. _


	15. Wounds

Getting to the Kazekage through the battle was not as difficult as Airi had initially expected. She shoved her way through, using small amounts of chakra to propel herself above the chaos and inch closer to Gaara.

When she was just within sight of him, she was forced to stop, met by a sea of white humanoid bodies. However, the more she looked at them, the less sure she became that they _were _even human; the grotesque forms were truthfully barely human, looking like melted wax figures. They surged toward her in a tide, but she pulled her uchigatana from its sheath, cutting down everything that dared cross her path.

She _would _make it to Gaara, no matter who got in her way.

Airi could barely breathe as she whirled between opponents, her mind consumed by the adrenaline that was coursing through her at full tilt. Lunge, block, parry, strike. Every piece of training she had ever undertaken came flooding back in a burst of panic.

"Fall back to support the First Division!"

Gaara's voice echoed louder than Airi had ever heard it, even when he had addressed the entire Allied Shinobi forces. Those of the Fourth Division not heavily engaged complied as quickly as possible, drawing a large majority of the massive army of not-quite-human shapes after them. Airi slashed down a few last opponents, but the combat zone was slowly receding as attention was drawn to the valley's center.

"Airi!"

Airi's head whipped around at the sound of her name, just in time to see a wall of sand wipe out the last few attackers at her back. When it cleared, a pair of bright green eyes stared back at her across the landscape.

It took every bit of her resolve as a shinobi not to run to him and throw her arms around him in her relief. Instead, she moved swiftly around the bodies of her fallen opponents, landing at his side.

"Gaara-sama, I would have been here sooner, but—!"

He held up a hand, cutting her off. "Don't apologize. I should have known that something like this would occur."

They stood side-by-side, looking out over the battlefield. Off in the distance, the white army of the Akatsuki surged forward, held back by a wall of shinobi. They were putting up a valiant fight. Yet scattered over the landscape was a tangle of bodies, shinobi of every nation who had given their lives even this early in the war.

Airi wasn't normally squeamish, but as she looked over the faces of young men and women, she couldn't help but see the image of her brother's face, broken and bloodied. She had never even gotten the chance to see him one last time, just like some poor civilians back at home would never see their son or daughter's face glowing and laughing ever again.

"Oh Kami…"

"Airi…" Gaara moved closer to her, his arm only inches from hers.

She blinked slowly, trying to clear her head of the images. "I'm sorry, Gaara-sama… I just got distracted. Forgive me."

"Are you feeling alright?" Airi could feel sand swirling behind her, forming a semi-solid support behind her arms.

That was enough to bring her out of the sudden shock.

_He was worried I might faint..._

"I'm fine. Honestly. I just…" _Am not used to full scale war and being panicked over someone I care for? Am wondering if I could have done something to save these people, to keep some young girl from losing her brother just like I did?_ No, she couldn't say that. As a shinobi, she couldn't show weakness, and particularly not to the man she was trying to protect.

"I need to get some water. I was careless with hydration when I broke off from Shikamaru-san."

Gaara regarded her for a moment, but then turned away.

"We need to reformulate strategy. Shikamaru is otherwise engaged, but Temari was in combat near here. Unless she moved to help the First Division, she should still be in contact. Relay a message—"

"Hey, kid!"

Airi turned back slowly as an old man about half her height lighted on the rock behind them. Gaara raised an eyebrow, and Airi resisted the urge to chuckle a little. Whoever this man was, it was obvious that Gaara was slightly perturbed by his lack of formality.

The old man looked between them, his eyebrows furrowing together, creating deeper wrinkles in his already wizened forehead.

"You're far too young to be married, kid, so who's this lovely lady? Far too pretty for combat, to be sure."

Airi began to get a sense of why Gaara had such a dislike for the old man, but a blush rose to her cheeks nonetheless; not so much because of the old man's comments about her looks, but rather the suggestion that _she_ could ever be mistaken for being the beloved of the Kazekage.

She expected Gaara to instantly refute the old man's conjecture, but Gaara simply turned around and folded his arms, his face drawn, almost as though… he was as embarrassed as _she_ was?

"I'm his bodyguard, _sir_." Airi tried to keep the edge out of her voice, but it didn't work as well as she had intended. This man had no right to be so careless when speaking to one of the five Kages.

"Ha ha ha!" The old man rocked with laughter, grinning at the two of them. His ruddy face twisted into a sardonic smile. "And here I was thinking that bodyguards are supposed to be large and tough. Things sure have changed since my day, kid."

"What do you have to report, Tsuchikage?" Gaara interrupted, stepping forward.

Airi's jaw almost dropped. That old man was… _the Tsuchikage_?

_Oh Kami, and I spoke to him like _that_? _

But the regret faded almost as soon as it hit her. _Tsuchikage or no Tsuchikage, he has no right to be so completely rude._

The Tsuchikage frowned, his mocking attitude quickly fading. "We've got to make our move quickly, kid. One of those four alone could do considerable damage, but all four of them together, under the control of that madman? We're in for a bloodbath if we don't take care of that post-haste."

Airi was completely lost, but she knew better than to ask stupid questions while the two Kages were in the middle of what seemed to be a life-or-death discussion.

"My knowledge of the abilities of the older Kages is limited… but the Fourth…" Gaara paused. "I believe I can handle him."

_Older Kages? _Airi had to bit her lip to keep the question from slipping out of her mouth unbidden. She was sure it had something to do with those strange chakras that Gaara had been sensing, but this made no sense. The other three – the Mizukage, the Hokage, and the Raikage – were elsewhere in the war, so surely that wasn't what they were referring to…

"Airi."

She snapped her head up, meeting Gaara's gaze levelly. "Yes, Kazekage-sama?"

"Contact Shikamaru as quickly as possible. Tell him I'm going to require the assistance of some of the top shinobi in our division. If he asks why, notify him that the former Kages need to be sealed with all haste."

Airi nodded, pulling her scroll out quickly and dashing the words down the page. She still had no idea what it meant, but orders were orders.

The Tsuchikage spoke again. "I've contacted headquarters to notify them of the situation. As soon as I receive word, we have to proceed."

He smiled grimly at Gaara, snorting softly. "Then we'll see who has principles, kid."

With that, the man flew off. Airi finished the message and resealed the scroll, standing to face Gaara, who was watching the receding back of the Tsuchikage.

"What now, Kazekage-sama?" She had slipped back into the formal title almost unknowingly, and there was a sudden distance between them that hadn't been there when she first arrived. Airi ignored the sinking feeling in her chest.

"Now, we wait." Gaara seemed to be caught up thoughts far away from her, so Airi didn't say anything further. If he wanted to explain the situation to her, he would do so in the time he saw fit.

Now, since they had reached a lull, it was time to assess damages. She looked at Gaara for a few moments; he seemed to be uninjured, if somewhat preoccupied, but the former was far more important.

_I have to consider my own state as well_, she thought wryly. She looked down at her arms and over her legs and her torso, searching for any sign of blood that would need to be cleared up. An infected wound was the last thing she needed.

There were a few minor scratches along the sides of her calf where blades had narrowly scraped her. She sat down and pulled the ointment and bandages from her bag to cover the wounds, trying to control her wince as the liquid burned over her skin.

"You're bleeding."

Gaara had apparently come out of his reverie. Airi half-turned to look at him, nodding slightly as she held up the ointment.

"I know. I'm taking care of the wounds on my leg now."

She turned back to her work, cleaning off the last scratch. The blazing sun overhead made her skin glisten where the ointment touched it. She covered it quickly with the bandage, wrapping the bandage tightly and securing it. Just as she finished the last knot, a shadow fell over her.

Airi turned to see Gaara standing directly behind her.

"That wasn't what I meant." He knelt down, and she could swear that she could feel his breath across the skin at the back of her neck. The proximity to him was enough to tie her stomach in knots.

Then he moved back again, standing up. "You seem to have missed an injury. You're bleeding, from a scratch on the back of your neck."

Airi let out the breath that she didn't know she had been holding. She lifted two fingers to the back of her head, pulling them away slowly, only to find crimson stains on them.

"Oh…" She seemed to be examining it with surprise, but truly she was taking the time to compose herself. Her breathing was even, but her heart was pumping out of control.

_Just being close to him shouldn't make me react this way!_

She spread the ointment across the place where the wound seemed to be; she couldn't see it because of where it was located, but she was fairly certain she was close.

"Odd that I didn't feel that…" she murmured quietly.

Because of the odd placement of the wound, she had to do a two-bandage seal, but her fingers fumbled as she searched for the spot to center them. Airi had never really considered a mirror to be necessary – shinobi didn't need to care about their appearance unless the mission required it – but now she found herself wishing she had had the foresight to pack one.

"Do you need help? You seem to be… struggling."

Airi felt color rising to her cheeks. Gaara's tone was entirely even, so it was difficult to tell whether he was mocking her situation or not. However, any intent aside, she had to get this wound sealed off.

She turned to him and held out the bandage. "If you could, Gaara-sama."

He took it from her carefully, almost as though he was unsure what to do with it. Airi turned back, brushing her short hair away from the nape of her neck so that he could place the bandage.

She barely even felt his fingers as he covered the wound. Even when he smoothed the edges down, she was surprised to note that his fingers were free of the calluses so typical of shinobi. His hands hovered above her neck for just a moment; it was all Airi could do just to keep breathing regularly.

Suddenly realizing how self-conscious she was, Airi stood, throwing the rest of the bandages and the ointment into her pack.

"Thank you, Gaara-sama. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I should be more careful." Airi prayed to every god she could think of for the blush to recede from her cheeks, but none seemed to be listening. Instead, she was forced to angle her face away from Gaara, hoping he wouldn't take note.

"It's fine." He said quietly. "I'm glad to be of service."

Airi opened her mouth to say something more, but she was cut short by the arrival of the Tsuchikage for the second time. He seemed more solemn as he landed, nodding to Airi and then turning to speak to Gaara.

"We've received confirmation to proceed. As soon as you assemble your unit, we move out."

* * *

_A/N: As usual, I wholeheartedly thank all of those who have favorited/reviewed/added alerts for this story. It's wonderful to know that my writing is being enjoyed by someone out there. Thanks for reading and I will do my best to continue to update promptly! _


	16. Reasons to Survive

_Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. Naruto. That is all._

* * *

They had barely taken three steps when the ground began to shake.

"What the—" All three turned to the source of the tremors, expecting to see the conclusion of some Earth-based jutsu, and hopefully a small victory for the Allied Shinobi Forces.

What they were met with was something quite different.

An enormous beast towered in the center of the field where the majority of the division had just gone to serve as reinforcements. It let out a horrendous screech, stopping all motion out on the battle field for an instant as every shinobi turned to stare.

Fear clenched at Airi's gut, indescribable and almost paralyzing. She could barely move enough to turn her head to look at Gaara, who looked equally shocked, but for a moment, she thought she saw a brief flash of recognition cross his face.

"What is that?" The question came from Gaara before Airi could even think to form words.

"Nothing good, that much is certain." The Tsuchikage answered gravely.

He had barely finished the sentence before another tremor rocked the earth and Airi found herself reaching out to steady herself against anything close.

Unfortunately, the nearest thing happened to be the Kazekage's shoulder.

Airi retracted her hand as fast as she could, but that only served to throw her even further off balance; this time, she had nothing to steady herself and she felt herself rapidly leaning too far to her left. She braced for an impact with the ground, but it never came.

Sand wrapped around her right wrist, keeping her upright long enough that she could regain her balance somewhat.

Gaara looked at her expressionlessly, slowly releasing the coil of sand around her arm as the tremors subsided. As though nothing had happened, he turned back to the Tsuchikage.

"We need to get out of here and figure out how we plan to combat this."

The Tsuchikage nodded his agreement, moving faster than an old man with a bad back should have been able, following a path away from the destruction. Gaara followed and Airi had no choice but to trail after them, though the shock had still not quite worn off.

* * *

By the time they made it back to the encampment, they were met by stragglers from Gaara's division that had made their way back after all the fighting. It was pure chaos; field medics ran all over the place, trying to ascertain who was too badly injured to be treated at the camp and needed to be sent to the field hospital; shinobi were littered all over the camp, injured and confused, and all speaking at once.

"That huge monster…"

"… dispatched the Hokage and Raikage…"

"… Nara-san tried to stop Madara…"

"… got away."

"Whoa!" Airi held up a hand to silence the group nearest her, but the confusion was so great that no one even seemed to be listening. Finally, she caught one of the people by the shoulder, identifying him as a scout.

"What happened?"

The man shook his head, his eyes wild and his speech disjointed. "Just came out of nowhere, like something from legend and made this awful sound, this kind of sound that twists your guts all up and makes you think you're gonna sh—"

Airi shook the man roughly. "Listen, I saw that. What is all this about General Nara and Madara?"

The shinobi shrugged, shaking visibly. "I don't know, I didn't see that. Youta over there, he saw what happened afterward…"

"Thanks." Airi let go of the man's shoulder, pointing him over to the far side of the chaotic crowd of shinobi. "Go find one of the medics; they'll treat you for shock."

The man just blinked at her for a moment, then finally seemed to comprehend what she had said and retreated hastily. Airi cut through the crowd, sparing a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Gaara was still where she had last seen him. He stood off to the side, conversing with the Tsuchikage and one of the higher ranking shinobi from Iwa.

Airi reached the young man the scout had referred to as Youta. He was fair-haired and light-eyed, and in spite of the chaos, he looked relatively calm as he rested back against the side of a rocky outcropping.

"Are you Youta?" She approached cautiously; people who looked calm were often the shock victims that were the worst off.

The young man looked up, his eyes cloudy for a moment before they focused on the source of the voice that had just spoken his name. He examined her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. Who's asking?"

Airi had to bite back a sarcastic retort to the boy's flippant attitude; there were more important issues at stake. If need be, she at least knew his name and could report him for insubordination later.

"Saito Airi, guard to the Kazekage. One of the scouts said you saw what was going on over on the main battlefield."

Youta's eyebrow rose slightly higher, and a slow grin quirked the corner of his mouth upward. "So you're just at his beck and call, huh? Whaddaya need to know?"

Airi could feel her temper flaring, but she took a deep breath and subdued it. The boy was trying her patience, but she didn't have to rise to it.

"I just need to know what went on out there. Past that… whatever the hell it was showing up out on the field. What happened with Madara?"

"Not even going to deny that you are, huh? Heh." He smirked.

Airi couldn't keep her anger in check this time; she hauled the boy up by the collar of his flak jacket. He was thin and short for a shinobi, as though he hadn't quite grown into his full size, so he was relatively easy to keep aloft.

"Look you little brat. That's the _Kazekage_ you're talking about it. You don't look like you need to go to the medic right now, but I swear to Kami you give me one more reason, I will make you wish you had fought Uchiha Madara himself."

Youta gulped, his almost-clear blue eyes showing pure fear. "Listen, I didn't mean anything by it! I'm just a kid… I don't even know what the hell I'm doing! I just have to act tough so those other guys'll leave me alone. Please, I'll tell you what I saw, just don't hurt me!"

Airi released her hold almost immediately, feeling more than a little sick with guilt. Now that she examined him more closely, she noticed the almost-baby-faced look about him. He barely even had the beginnings of stubble along his jaw.

Turning away from him slightly to hide the sudden pallor that had come over her face, she repeated her inquiries. "Just tell me what you saw happen with Madara."

Youta rubbed at his collar where the jacket had chafed his neck. "After that huge monster showed up, Madara tried to take the stuff that they lifted off the Gold and Silver brothers. General Nara tried to stop him, but he almost got crushed by whatever that monster was. I didn't see what happened next, but then Madara just disappeared and took that monster with him. Everybody's okay, I think, but I don't know…"

He stopped, his light eyes suddenly brimming with tears as he mumbled. "I don't know if anybody's okay anymore. I wasn't ready for this. Why in the hell did I even do this… I don't want to anymore. I don't want to."

Airi put a gentle hand on his shoulder, unsure of what else to do. Youta sniffled and gave a hiccoughing sob, swabbing at his eyes with a badly bandaged hand.

Airi caught his arm as he went to lower it back to his side, twisting it around carefully so she could see where the bandages began.

"Who did this?" She asked incredulously; the bandages was too loose in some places and too tight in others, leaving the wound badly treated.

Youta looked ashamed. "I didn't have time to go find a medic out on the battlefield. And it was just a wound from one of those white things from Madara's army... it wasn't deep. I killed it almost immediately. I didn't figure I needed to pay much attention to it."

Airi sighed; he really was inexperienced. "Any wound is important. You need to go find one of the medics right away to get this done up properly."

Youta sniffled once more and then nodded slowly. "Okay."

He began to walk in the same direction Airi had sent the scout earlier, but Airi caught him by the shoulder before he got too far.

"Listen, kid. I know it's hard… but you've got to believe in what you're fighting for. It might not be okay now… but it will." She smiled a little, almost speaking to herself. "There's a reason you survive."

Youta offered her a watery smile. "Thanks."

Airi watched him go, still shaky from the sudden sickness that had overtaken her.

_Just a kid…_

"Airi?" Gaara's voice. There was no time to dwell.

* * *

The night fell quickly and things settled back into a semblance of order as the injured were treated and damage was assessed. Airi sat by the fire, watching Gaara out of the corner of her eye. She doubted he was even aware of her presence, fixated as he was on his thoughts. His green eyes stared into the depths of the flame, seeing nothing. If she didn't know better, she would have thought he was sleeping with his eyes open.

She was exhausted herself, but she refused to give into it. The images of lifeless masses of blood and despair still burned into her eyelids. The only way to purge it for the moment was to remain awake.

"It's my father, you know."

For a moment, Airi wasn't sure what she had just heard. She looked up at Gaara, her eyes refocusing to study him. He hadn't moved from his position in front of the fire, but she was positive that he had spoken.

"Kazekage-sama?"

"That strange chakra that I keep sensing. I'm not sure how much you extrapolated from the conversation between the Tsuchikage and myself, but the chakra… it's my father's."

Airi felt a chill run up her spine. "How is that—?"

"—possible?" Gaara finished. "I'm not quite sure. It has something to do with the Impure World Resurrection that Madara has somehow come to possess …"

Gaara looked away from the fire, his face all seriousness as his eyes rose slowly to meet hers.

"I don't know what I'm going to do."

Airi opened her mouth, but no sound came out. How did she even begin to respond to such a statement? Too many thoughts collided. Her own relations with her father had been complicated at best, but how could she even begin to relate it to Gaara's experience? And to fight one's own flesh and blood… she couldn't even imagine.

And he sought _her _for consolation? Her stomach flipped.

So rather than attempting to find a voice, Airi allowed her instinct to guide her instead. For now, it would have to do.

She reached a hand out to find his, wrapping trembling fingers around his palm.

Airi was surprised when he didn't move to take his hand away.

She was even more surprised when his fingers closed over hers, though he still said nothing.

"You'll know what has to be done." She whispered.

Gaara didn't respond as he stared down at where their hands were intertwined.

After a moment, he spoke. "Airi, I'm not sure—"

He was cut off as the sound of footsteps signaled someone approaching. Airi's hand dropped reluctantly from his grip, but she was surprised to recognize the approaching party as Youta.

His light eyes stared almost lifelessly and he stopped as he neared the fire.

"Saito-san, I need to ask you about something."

Airi couldn't hide her confusion, but she nodded. "Yes?"

A slow grin spread across the boy's face, but it wasn't the slow, sardonic grin of bravado she had witnessed this afternoon.

This one was crazed and inhuman.

"How far are you willing to go to guard the Kazekage?"

The next few seconds were little more than a flash. Youta, or the thing which seemed to have suddenly overtaken his consciousness, moved toward the Kazekage with lightning speed. Airi jumped, her uchigatana unsheathed and slashing through the air.

The first strike was a miss, but the cold-blooded creature was not about to give up so easily. Behind her, Airi could see Gaara's Ultimate Defense swirling around him.

Youta had receded into the shadows; Airi scanned feverishly, waiting for the next opening to stop him. Sand was spreading in all directions as Gaara searched with equal intensity. He turned to the side for a moment, detecting a hint of movement behind one of the rock formations. Out of the corner of her eye, Airi could see that the rest of the camp was being thrown into equal chaos. Countless shinobi were defending themselves from sudden attacks.

They had been betrayed, it seemed.

A flash of movement caught her vision and Airi followed the source. She couldn't keep up with the motion, but she caught the direction from which it was coming.

The exact place to which the Kazekage had his back.

She could chalk it up to no more than luck that she jumped precisely when she did. She would never know if Gaara's Ultimate Defense would have been enough to save him, but it didn't matter.

Airi jumped and brought her sword down, cleaving the figure's head clean off its shoulders. The form that had been Youta melted to little more than white sludge as it splattered on the ground.

Airi hit the ground, not bothering to break her fall. She heard a bone crack, but it was distant, like she was hearing it from beyond herself.

It wasn't until she was fully grounded that she felt the blood seeping from her abdomen.

The world swam as she looked down; the gash was deep and ran from one side of her body clear to the other. The thought vaguely crossed her mind that she should scream, but she felt no pain. As she watched the blood pour, the world slipped further and further out of proportion. She didn't even notice when she slumped to the ground or the arms that caught her as she fell.

As she stared at the stars, she felt strangely at peace. The image of the sky flickered in and out of her vision, as though she were watching it from underwater. It became more blurred by the second.

Then her eyes focused once more, one final time, on a pair of panicked green eyes, and her heart clenched with fear.

_I'm not ready to leave him._

And then she succumbed to blackness.

* * *

_Silence. Images cascaded. Colors blended into strange shapes that faded as quickly as they formed. _

_Yet still nothing focused. She swam in a field of blur, searched for something unattainable. Her hands moved forward, but clutched at nothing. _

_Panic bubbled in her throat, threatening to pull her deep into the place where even the colors and strange shapes receded. The thought pulled her deeper into the void and the floor fell from beneath her feet, leaving her falling through a place where the bottom could never be reached. _

_In the back of her mind, a memory of something green flashed, but it was gone as soon as it came. _

Will I be lost in this darkness interminably?

* * *

_A/N: Okay, so there's good news and bad news. _

_Good news: Despite the fact that I'm pretty much exhausted, I finally got inspiration for this chapter. I've been planning for a while, but I just needed one essential component and I finally found it. I am **so** terribly sorry for being so late to update. A thousand apologies. But I certainly hope the wait was worth it._

_Bad news: ...well, if you read the chapter you'll know what that is. Certainly a cliff-hanger. Because of that, I will do my utmost to be prompt with my next update. So even the bad news is not that bad, eh? :)_

_ As usual, I greatly appreciate the wonderful reviews and I hope I've kept up your expectations. _

_- Senka_


	17. Limitations

_Disclaimer: All original plots are inventions of that strange place I like to call my mind. Sadly, Naruto is not._

* * *

She could feel consciousness returning slowly, but it was murky, like wading through a muddy river, with little prickles of pain like low-hanging branches scratching at her face, arms and torso. She could hear voices around her, but they remained just there: outside of her understanding, outside of realms she could inhabit. When the pain took over, she let the blackness take her once again.

* * *

"You should go."_ A hushed voice, feminine, insistent. _

"I… can afford to stay a short time longer."_ Deeper. Flat, but with a bit of tension. Familiar, but it can't be placed. _

"Her condition hasn't changed for four days. If anything changes, I'll be sure that you know."

_Silence. Papers rustling and the sound of deep, steady breathing. _

_Quieter. _"We're doing all we can for her, I promise."

"I trust that you are."

_A sensation of cold, pain, light. _

"She's waking. Just a moment."

_A sudden intense sensation, and someone is crying, whimpering weakly, but it's distant._

"I need someone's help over here! I'm sorry, you'll have to go."

_Hesitance, a half-hearted protest, but it's drowned out by a flash of brightness, of coherence. _

"No, no. no. Just stay there, it'll be okay."

_Thoughts were beginning to return. _

'_Is she speaking to me?'_

"Oh my… can I get some _help_ over here? Please, please, just stay calm."

And suddenly it became quite clear where the cries of pain were coming from.

* * *

Airi woke to silence. She shifted, finding herself tangled in a thin sheet.

Her eyes blinked open slowly, but in her stupor, she couldn't see properly. It was as though someone had covered her world in a thin, gray film, with small spots of clarity at the corners of her vision. She attempted to lift her right arm to wipe out of her eyes what she could only assume was the product of days of unconsciousness, but the arm wouldn't move; it was suspended in a splint and wrapped firmly in bandages.

She tested the left arm and it moved slowly, but without much difficulty. Airi swiped at her eyes a few times, and blinked again.

Nothing changed.

Everything remained blurry and out of focus. She couldn't even see where she was, much less the hand she had just used to try to clear her vision.

Panic rose in her throat, swirling inside her like a sudden storm.

"Saito-san?"

The voice was somehow familiar, but in her state of fright and confusion, Airi couldn't place it. She could only hope it was someone helpful.

"Oh Kami. I could use some help in here! Saito-san, I need you to sit back and calm down. Are you in pain?"

"I can't see." She mumbled, still floundering, searching for some sense of reality that was apparently beyond her grasp.

"What was that?"

Through the small gaps where her vision was clear, Airi caught a glimpse of pink and beyond that, white. She wasn't sure what that meant.

"Saito-san, can you hear me? If you can, I need you to slowly repeat what you just said as clearly as you can."

"I said I can't see." She spoke with precision, but she couldn't be sure how much was understood. Her voice trembled as it escaped her lips and she brought her left hand slowly up to motion at her eyes.

The girl who had spoken –at least Airi assumed the voice belonged to a woman – gave a soft sigh of disappointment.

"Haruno-san? Did you call for help?" A second voice entered the room; it was male and quieter, though that might simply have been because it was farther away. Airi couldn't tell.

"Yes, thank you. Saito-san, I need to take a look at your eyes. Just a cursory examination; if you feel any pain, you need to tell us immediately. While I'm doing that, my colleague will be asking you some simple questions to make sure your memory is still functioning normally. Is that alright?"

_Do I really have any choice?_ Airi moved her hand away from her face. "Yes."

Airi caught a glimpse of motion out of the corner of her eyes and then she felt a gloved hand begin to inspect the area around her right left eye. A squeak from her other side told her that someone, presumably the woman's colleague, had pulled a chair up next to her.

"What is your name?"

"Saito Airi."

"Where were you born?"

"Sunagakure."

"What is your occupation?"

"Kunoichi, Chunin-level, Sunagakure. Former bodyguard to the daimyo, currently deployed in the Fourth Shinobi World War, serving as bod—"

Airi stopped, suddenly overcome once again by the panic that had gradually been receding. "Oh Kami. The Kazekage. Gaara-sama… what happened? I don't remember!"

"Saito-san." The female voice from her left was level and calm, which reduced Airi's anxiety, if only somewhat. "The Kazekage is fine. We need to continue with the examination. There will be time for explanations soon."

The man cleared his throat and continued. "What is your age?"

"Seventeen."

"Young to have been a bodyguard to both the daimyo and the Kazekage." The man remarked approvingly.

"If you don't mind me asking," Airi interrupted cautiously, trying not to flinch as the woman began to examine her other eye. "Where am I?"

"Oh!" The woman sat back for a moment and Airi resisted the urge to rub at her eyes. It certainly wouldn't help her see anymore clearly.

"I'm so sorry. When there is the possibility of brain damage, we generally forget introductions." The woman gave a nervous laugh. "I'm Haruno Sakura, medical-nin of Konoha."

"Maki Kenji. Medical-nin, Sunagakure," came the voice from her other side.

"And you're currently at the central Medical Division compound." The woman who called herself Sakura finished. "What is the last thing you remember?"

The first thing that came to Airi's mind was a memory of sitting near a fire, one in which she reached out and took the Kazekage's hand. She fought the flush rising to her cheeks. No, that certainly couldn't be correct.

She thought harder and another memory surfaced.

"The camp… we were… infiltrated. I'm not sure. Someone attempted to attack the Kazekage and I… I think I managed to stop them.

"Good." There was the sound of a pen scratching across a writing surface, and then a short silence.

Kenji let out a slow sigh. "From what you've said, your memory function seems to be normal, but it will take time to be sure."

"Now…" Sakura began hesitantly; Airi's gut clenched inexplicably. "We need to discuss the extent of your injuries."

Airi found herself unable to form the words to say what she was thinking. Too many questions surfaced, none of them quite coherent, so she remained silent and listened.

"The attacks you describe weren't localized to just your division's camp. They happened all over. The… thing you killed was part of the Akatsuki's forces. It seems their goal was to assassinate as many of the commanders and Jonin-level shinobi as they could. Fortunately, we were able to contain the problem before they succeeded."

Sakura paused and Airi was surprised to hear a smile in her voice.

"You might just have saved the Kazekage's life, Saito-san."

Sakura hesitated again. "I'm not sure how much you remember about the end of the fight. You killed the assassin, but he… _it_… managed to place a hit on you at the same time. The wound was deep, but treatable. You broke your arm in the fall. It shouldn't have been a serious injury, given the proper treatment promptly afterward."

Airi bit the inside of her lip, releasing it slowly. She heard the contradiction before it even escaped Sakura's mouth. "However…?"

"However…" The medical-nin's voice went soft. "The weapon was poisoned."

The news should not be coming as a shock, but Airi could feel her hands begin to shake nonetheless.

"It was fast-acting. Between the poison and the sudden blood-loss, you lost consciousness within moments. Fortunately, someone at the camp recognized the inconsistencies in your symptoms after they stopped the blood flow and you were brought to me. I've had experience with unknown poisons, so we managed to get the majority of it out of your system, but you've been unconscious for several days. We couldn't be sure how badly the poison had affected you until you woke…"

Airi closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly. At least with her eyes closed, the world wasn't a swimming blur.

"The blindness?"

"It's not total blindness!" Sakura attempted to say it with some hope in her voice, but it fell short. "But…"

Airi took a deep breath and opened her eyes. There would be no way to steel herself for what was coming, but she was a shinobi; whatever the consequences, she had to accept them.

"I'm afraid the damage to your vision may be permanent."

* * *

_A/N: Sorry this chapter was somewhat short and not exactly prompt. Busy few weeks before summer began, unfortunately. As always, I appreciate your reviews, alerts and favoriting. (Yes, I just used "favorite" in the form of a gerund. Oh, the products of the sleep-deprived mind...) Hope this chapter continues to please, delight, shock and amaze, and if it doesn't, hopefully has been, at the very least, worth your time to read. :) Oh, and now, I'll stop rambling. _

_- Senka_


	18. Realization

Gaara was playing a game of waiting, and it was one that he did not particularly enjoy. In the hours just before dawn, the camp was eerily silent as the army slept, or perhaps simply waited in silent fear. After the events of almost a week ago, everyone was still on guard.

Fortunately, the strategy of Konoha's Shikaku Nara had managed to detect the false clones of shinobi across the camps and the impostors had been disposed of within the night, but it hadn't come without a cost. Several Jounins and special ops fighters had been assassinated, and many more were left severely injured. Adding to their misfortune was the fact that, of all the locations, the medic's camp had been the worst hit, so many of those patients were still in critical condition, having to be treated as quickly as the remaining medics could manage.

One of those patients had saved his life.

Gaara hadn't quite realized how unused to being alone he had become until her sudden departure. For such a long time, being left to look out for himself had been a fact of life, if only a grudgingly accepted one.

Now, being alone in this stillness just felt… empty.

Occasionally, when the wee hours of the morning refused to grant him sleep and there was no work to be done, Gaara lost himself to memory, wondering if there was anything further he could have done.

It had all been so sudden anyway. That young shinobi, the one she seemed to have recognized, had come out of nowhere. If he had been more prepared, perhaps, he could have crushed the intruder instantly, sparing her from…

The images flashed across his vision. He had half-turned, and probably would have gotten there in time to block the impostor's strike, but she had noticed first, jumping to protect him. It was her job, after all, wasn't it?

But that still didn't account for the strange feeling he got when he remembered her crumpled form, the warm blood that poured like an interminable waterfall from her torso. He'd had no way to staunch it, no matter how hard he tried. Her arm had lain at an unhealthy angle, obviously broken. If he had caught her fall, he could have prevented that too.

The worst, by far, was her eyes. The dark pools of indigo had gone glassy and flat, staring at nothing as she slowly slipped from consciousness. Those eyes, which had always been so attentive, so alert, which had been filled with such kindness only moments before…

He flexed his hand mechanically, thinking about the feel of her slender fingers looped through his own. When she'd touched him… he had never experienced anything even remotely like it, the electricity of the feeling of knowing that she… _cared _for him. Not just as the Kazekage, it seemed, but as…

"Gaara-sama."

The voice was low and familiar, but despite that, Gaara tensed, and he could feel the sand in the gourd strapped to his back roiling warily.

He refused to be caught off his guard again.

* * *

Alone with her thoughts, Airi wasn't sure what to do. Sakura and the other medic, whose name she couldn't quite recall, had finished their tests hours ago, and she had been left to her own devices, with only the hollow beeping of the medical monitor to keep her company. At least, that's what she assumed. If there actually _were_ any other patients in the tent, they were sleeping, comatose or incredibly quiet, because she hadn't heard even the slightest bit of noise from anyone else. She might as well be alone.

After they had finished their tests, they'd rubbed a sticky salve around her eyes that made blinking a chore, so she decided just to keep her eyes closed. Having them open would do her very little good anyway.

Her thoughts wandered idly, meandering around the darker paths in her mind that she didn't care to traverse so soon.

Unsurprisingly, her thoughts brought her to the Kazekage.

She wondered where he was; the medics had assured her that he was perfectly safe and uninjured, which likely meant he was back on the battlefield at this very moment. Her stomach clenched slightly at the thought, and she very suddenly remembered the multiple stitches in the wound across her abdomen. She winced in pain. Perhaps that wasn't the best line of thought to follow.

She hadn't bothered to ask about visitors. At this point, she didn't expect she'd had any. If no one had come to seek her out while she was hospitalized in Suna, she was quite sure no one would in the middle of the war. It shouldn't have bothered her nearly as much as it did, but the thought was still rather irksome. Maybe it was just the feeling of being caged, the same one she always got visiting hospitals, even if this was just a field hospital.

The noise of shuffling feet and a tent flap falling gently back in place alerted her to the presence of someone else in the room, drawing her out of her thoughts.

"Good afternoon, Saito-san!" Sakura's cheerful voice was closer than Airi expected, but she managed to control her first reflex to jump in surprise. That did not, however, stop the shaking in her arms.

"Good afternoon, Haruno-san." Airi answered; though in truth, she wasn't sure if it was afternoon at all. With no way to detect the changing light, she'd somewhat lost track of the passage of time.

"How are you feeling?"

Airi shrugged. "The abdomen wound hurts a little. My arm is well enough, though the bandages are making it a little itchy. Otherwise, I guess I'm alright."

She heard the scratch of a pen on a clipboard.

"How about your eyes?"

Airi moved her head ambiguously.

"Well, let's take a look then. I know that salve is thick, but I'm going to need you to open your eyes."

Airi struggled against it a bit, with eyelashes stuck in the paste, but finally got them open. There was very little difference from having them shut, other than the fact that her vision was slightly more colorful with her eyes open.

"Hmm." Airi could feel the medic testing the chakra connections and it made her want to blink, though she knew she couldn't.

"Well." The feeling of an influx of chakra stopped. "I still don't understand it. In all my experience, I've never seen anything like it. It's like the poison cut off the chakra flow from all but one or two of the branches of the path from your visual cortex to your eyes."

Somehow, that didn't make Airi feel any better.

Sakura sat back with a sigh. "We're doing all we can though. One of my colleagues knows someone who specializes in poisons and antidotes in one of the smaller nations and we've sent out a dispatch. We're thinking perhaps if we can fully identify the properties of the poison, we might have a better chance at restoring at least some of your sight."

Airi frowned, unsure what to say. Should she thank the girl for trying? Probably, but really she felt more like screaming at the moment.

"At least you have someone who cares about you." The medic continued softly, almost contemplatively, as though she were talking to herself. "That always makes the hardships more bearable."

"What do you mean?" Airi was struck by the girl's first few words.

"I mean Gaara-sama." Sakura answered plainly, and Airi could hear her tapping her pen against the clipboard thoughtfully. "He's been here every day since you were injured, you know. Not all the time, obviously. He has an army to command, after all. But for a couple of hours, generally late when everyone else was resting, he kept coming to check on your condition."

"It's funny," she continued. "He always seemed so distant to me. Even after he became the Kazekage, he never showed much emotion. But now he seems genuinely worried."

Airi didn't know what to say. He had been here? Actually been here? Every day, Sakura had said. Just to check on her.

When Airi did say anything, Sakura filled the silence with a question. "Are the two of you friends?"

"Friends?" Airi managed to get that out haltingly. "I'm… I was his bodyguard."

She could hear the smile in Sakura's voice. "I know that, but… well, I've just never seen him so concerned. It seems like you two are close."

Were they friends? Airi had to think long and hard about that; the thought had honestly never even crossed her mind. He was the Kazekage, which automatically put him in a different sphere than her, only a Chunin. But still… he had spoken to her about things he wouldn't have to most people… he had helped her tend to an injury… she had touched him, and he didn't pull away, seemed to be glad for her companionship, actually…

"I didn't mean to pry." Sakura said, her voice slightly subdued. "I was just wondering. When we asked about your previous medical history, he said he had come to visit you in the hospital once before, but the injury wasn't nearly as bad."

"He what?" All thoughts that Airi had been sifting through fluttered to a halt.

"He said you were injured after a bout to prove your skill. Said it wasn't serious, but that it kept you in the hospital for a few days and—"

"You said he came to visit me." Airi cut her off, forming the words slowly and deliberately.

"Yes, that's what he mentioned." Sakura said, a hint of confusion in her voice.

"I thought I was dreaming…" Airi muttered quietly, but the medic didn't seem to hear her.

"Well, perhaps he'll come to visit again, if he gets the chance." Sakura sighed again, and Airi heard movement. "I've probably chattered to you enough. Things have been slow today, but I should be there in case anyone else comes in who needs help. Kenji-san or I will be back to check on you fairly soon."

Airi was pretty sure she made some sort of reply, but in her current state, she couldn't be really sure of anything. Just the fact that he'd come to visit her… that he'd been _concerned_ about her… it was enough to make her feel almost giddy, all thoughts of her current predicament aside.

And when she'd reached for his hand, he'd let her take it.

A slow smile spread across her face. He might actually—

But then that happiness came crashing down in one swift blow.

At that time, she hadn't been blind. She'd been strong and capable of protecting him… of taking care of herself… she'd been whole.

Not bothering to flick away the tears that readily gathered on her lower lashes, she lowered her head onto the cot, wrapping her arms tightly around her stomach. She didn't sob… she _couldn't_ sob for fear of ripping the stitches. She just let the tears drip out of her eyes, tracing lines down her chin and across her nose.

When Sakura came back to check on her later that evening, the glistening tracks of tears were still visible on Airi's face, even in sleep.

Sakura couldn't bring herself to wake the girl, making a mental note to come back and check on her later. She'd seen enough tears already.

* * *

_A/N: I was thinking just the other day that I hadn't gone back to Gaara's point-of-view in a while. This story started out as a dual POV project, but I kind of abandoned that for the past few chapters, focusing on Airi's story instead. I attempted to recover that somewhat in this chapter. Hope I haven't gotten too rusty._

_As usual, thank you, thank you, thank you to those of you who read and review. Reading your thoughts on the story always makes me incredibly happy, so please, if you would be so inclined, leave a review for me! :)_

_Oh, and sorry for the agonizingly slow pacing. It's just taking some time for me to plot out exactly how I want the next few chapters to go. _

_Happy reading!_

_- Senka_


	19. Waiting Game's End

Airi woke to the noise of things being shuffled around and distant shouts from beyond the medical tent. Her head was still slightly fuzzy as she came around.

"She's awake." An unfamiliar voice noted and Airi's fist clenched defensively, a natural reflex. What was going on?

"Oh good." The familiar voice of Sakura met her ears and Airi allowed herself to relax a bit.

"Haruno-san?"

"Good morning, Saito-san. I hope we didn't disturb you too much. We're just getting everything ready for transport."

"Transport?" Airi didn't bother to hide the confusion in her voice.

"Yes." Sakura's tone was slightly distracted, but when Airi didn't respond, the shuffling noise stopped.

"Wait, you don't know?"

Airi set her teeth. She had a feeling this would not be a good conversation. "Know what, exactly?"

Sakura let out a drawn out sigh, sinking down to sit on the end of the cot. "I can't believe Kenji-san didn't tell you. I told him ages ago to make sure you knew…" She sighed again, standing back up. "If you want something done right… oh well. Can't just sit about because things don't get done."

"Would you mind explaining, please?" Airi tried to keep the slight panic out of her voice, but it wasn't very convincing.

"Sorry." Sakura said distractedly. "All non-critical patients are being transported to safer locations. With all the infiltration we've had to deal with, it's best if those who can't return to the field are kept out of the line of fire, so to speak. The enemy's tactic involves draining chakra, so keeping patients, most of whom have good chakra reserves, here is like a set bomb just waiting to explode."

"Essentially we're dead weight." Airi said, her voice void of any inflection.

"That's not it at all!" Sakura's tone was decidedly less distracted. "We're trying to keep everyone as safe as possible."

She paused, and when she spoke again, her voice was caught between bitterness and pain. "We're just doing all that we can for those who are still fighting."

Airi wasn't entirely convinced, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to take out her frustration on the poor medic. This decision was not her fault, and making it seem as though it was would likely just make the girl all the more bitter.

So, once again, Airi swallowed her own resentment and sat up, smoothing her tunic down and clasping her hands over her knees.

"When do we leave?"

* * *

As Gaara approached the medical tents, he slowed. Perhaps it had been foolish of him to come here.

When Kakashi had sought him out yesterday, Gaara had assumed it meant they would be launching into battle almost immediately. They might even end the battle decisively.

Little had he known the meeting was just prolonging the waiting game.

The sun had set on another day of battles and combating infiltration. Despite the fact that they had eliminated the initial threat, Madara was cutting them off at every turn. Even with the two Jinchuuriki joining the fray, the Allied Shinobi Forces were hanging on by a thread. Everyone in the camps was on edge, just waiting for the next report of bad news.

Gaara often found it odd not to count himself among the Jinchuuriki. In handling the daily duties of the Kazekage, it had become easy to forget the gaping hole inside of you where a monster had once been, but on the battlefield, when the power of that monster was being turned against your allies, it was as apparent as it had ever been. At this point, Gaara was unsure whether he was better or worse for the beast's extraction.

The closer he got, the more surprised he was to note that the medics weren't scrambling around like they had been for the past week. Rather, the ones not tending to patients were walking around at a comparatively leisurely pace.

Approaching the tent, Gaara was stopped by the appearance of Haruno Sakura emerging from within. She looked mildly surprised when she saw him, despite the fact that he had visited every day aside from yesterday. That slight had been no fault of his own, but the duties of a Kazekage took precedence over a visit to the medic's camp.

"Gaara-sama?"

He nodded curtly. "How is she?"

Sakura examined him with some trepidation and more than a little confusion. "She's been stable… but if you came to check up on her condition, I'm afraid she's no longer here."

Gaara simply stared at her. "No longer here?"

Sakura nodded slowly. "All non-critical patients were moved to a safer location this morning. I assumed the higher command had been informed."

Gaara spoke quietly, almost more to himself than to Sakura as his eyes focused on something distant, perhaps in memory. "I was on the field all day yesterday. Temari must have forgotten to inform me."

He came away from whatever thoughts had been passing through his head, inclining his head politely before turning away from Sakura. "I apologize for troubling you."

Sakura watched his receding back, bemused. Sabuku no Gaara, Kazekage of the Sand, was _this_ concerned over his bodyguard?

There was certainly more to this than Airi had assumed, she thought with interest.

* * *

Gaara was no more than halfway back to camp when the message was relayed: The resurrected Kages had begun to move.

The journey back was expedited by his use of sand as a transport, and he was unsurprised to be met by Shikamaru and Temari as he arrived. Temari examined him with considerable scrutiny, but made no move to question his former whereabouts.

Shikamaru nodded to a cluster of Shinobi going over strategies across the clearing. "The sealing team has almost been assembled. The last one is going through chakra screening right now, but after that, we should be prepared to deploy. The Tsuchikage has already volunteered to handle his predecessor. And you…"

"We've spoken on the matter." Gaara answered, ignoring Shikamaru's implied question. He knew what needed to be done.

The Tsuchikage waved them over, grunting a cursory greeting at Gaara before showing him the battle plans. They were simple enough to follow; in essence, Gaara's sand shield would be their major source of defense. It was also his job to subdue any attempts made by the Fourth Kazekage to gain an advantage. The defense would be easy. Fighting the Fourth… Gaara tried not to think about the many old resentments stacked up inside of him. If there had ever been a time to be level-headed, it was now.

As they scattered out onto the battlefield, Gaara found his thoughts straying to Airi again. Their last conversation had been about the impending battle. She'd said he would know what to do. She had truly believed that.

Resolve hardened within him. If not for his own sake and redemption, he would win this battle for her. She had been willing to sacrifice her life for him, so now it was his turn to put his own life on the line for the shinobi world. If it meant facing the father who had loathed his own child so deeply that he had attempted to have him assassinated… so be it.

Sand swirled as Gaara caught a sense of chakra nearby. He stood, cold green eyes making contact with familiar lifeless eyes that had once been dark.

The figure before him betrayed no hint of surprise.

"Gaara."

For the first time in his life, Gaara was able to look the man in the eye without fear or pure hatred.

"Father."

* * *

_A/N: Ooo, suspense. _

_**Really** short chapter. I know. I apologize. But the next one is going to be too long to include these scenes as well, and since I've been procrastinating so horrifically on updates, I figured it was about time that I added a new chapter, despite its limited length. _

_Also, as I've mentioned to those that read my other multi-chapter fic, I have some family stuff/ traveling to do in the next couple of weeks or so, so I'm not sure how frequently I'll be able to update. I will do my utmost to continue to do so regularly, but if not, don't be surprised. Come late July/August though, I'll be back to writing like a fiend, hopefully, so fear not. :)_

_In the meantime, if you'd like to see a little preview for a coming chapter/get an idea (sort of) of what I picture Airi looking like, you can hop on over to my profile and check out the deviantArt link on there. It's a sketch I did of Airi and Gaara that corresponds to a scene that will be coming shortly. _

_Hope you all enjoy the chapter and reviews are loved! _

_- Senka Hitomi_


	20. Mistakes Confronted

"It's been a while." The words sounded strange even as they left his mouth. This nonchalance was… unnatural, and even as he stood before his father, suspended by his sand, he could barely control the trembling in his limbs.

The man before him looked at him with rage and confusion. "How… Gaara, where did Shukaku go?"

Gaara felt anger seethe beneath the surface, but he kept it at bay. "It's gone, Father. Forever. I'm no longer the Jinchuuriki you created."

He watched his father react. At first it was simply stunned disbelief, but then it turned to something that bordered on anger. "No longer a Jinchuuriki? That's impossible."

Gaara watched his father, sensing the disapproval emanating from him. Even in death, everything was about the political game. He was more concerned about the loss of Shukaku than the fact that his son was no longer a Jinchuuriki.

"I died when Shukaku was extracted from me by the very men who now control you. But through the efforts of Chiyo-sama and my friends, I was brought back."

"I can't believe Chiyo-sama would do such a thing!" His father practically sneered, and for a moment, Gaara almost found himself pitying his father. So much had changed in the intervening years. For the first time, he was able to fully see the effects of his leadership, reflected as his father might see them now.

The Village Hidden in the Sand was not quite the harsh place it had once been,

"And your friends…?" His father continued incredulously. "You of all people have friends?"

One of the figures below, presumably one of the other former Kages laughed outright at the statement, but Gaara didn't catch his words. He was caught by visions of laughing blue eyes, a bright smile and the echoes of "dattebayo"; of his brother, still weakened from the poison he had contracted in his attempt to come after Gaara when he had been kidnapped; of the relief that had washed over Temari's visage when he had been brought safely back to the village; of Matsuri's shining face, notifying her sensei of a new technique she had mastered.

Of a pair of indigo eyes and a hand slipping silently to intertwine with his own.

Yes, he had friends.

"You tried to kill me six times. Every time I grew to fear and hate you more." Gaara spoke, finding sudden confidence in his words. "But now, I do not hate you. I even understand what you were trying to do."

He felt himself stand straighter, and Gaara looked his father directly in the eye.

"I am the Kazekage now."

* * *

Airi couldn't recognize the landscape, but as soon as the transport came to a halt, she had a good idea of where she was. Enough familiar sensations greeted her other senses to let her know that they were back in Wind country. She wasn't sure why; Wind country was a fair piece away from the main battlefields, and while it wasn't directly in the way of the conflict, it certainly wasn't much of a safe haven.

Aside from that knowledge, however, she had no idea of their exact location. From the sight spots –which was what she had taken to calling the small spots of clarity in the blur that was her vision– she only glimpsed the monochromatic tones of the desert.

As people moved outside the medical transport, she caught the sound of a familiar voice. It seemed Kenji, the medic-nin who had neglected to tell her about the transfer in the first place, was one of the chief staff organizing the operation.

"We'll need to do a chakra examination on everyone before they enter the village."

The _village_? Airi balked. If they had arranged for transport all the way back to Suna, that had to mean…

"Start with the Jounin medics and their patients. They'll need the access to the medical facilities first."

"Excuse me." Airi said, unsure exactly who she might be addressing.

Kenji seemed to be the nearest medic within hearing range.

"Ah, Saito-san." His voice got closer as he walked toward her. "I apologize for my earlier oversights. Haruno-sempai informed me of my error. Rest assured, however, that we're continuing to look into your condition. It may not be immediate, but—

"Kenji-san, I don't mean to interrupt, but where exactly are we?"

"Oh, that." Kenji paused, and off to the left, Airi heard a distant crashing sound.

"Be careful with those supplies! We don't have unlimited resources!" Kenji shouted, and various apologies filtered in. "Sorry about that, Saito-san. As for your question, we're under orders to treat all patients at the medical facilities here in Suna. Konoha is generally renowned for their hospital care, but they're still in the process of rebuilding, so it fell to us to oversee the operation."

"I see." Airi said quietly. "What will happen to me in the meantime?

"Since," she added, "I'm not really a critical patient."

Airi could almost picture the apologetic smile that crossed Kenji's face as he answered.

"For the moment, I'm afraid you'll just have to wait."

* * *

His father stared back at him, after being silent for a few moments as he let Gaara's last few words sink in.

"Perhaps there's value in this reanimation after all. This time, I will determine your worth with my own hands. Can you surpass me?"

Gaara steeled himself, just waiting for the onslaught. Sand shifted in the gourd on his back, and he watched his father.

This would be the moment that determined everything.

In an instant, the landscape exploded into sand and gold dust. Gaara was so focused on the battle ahead that he barely heard the uproar from the shinobi behind them as they began the onslaught, pouring forward to combat the remaining former Kages. Every ounce of his concentration was instead focused on lifting his sand over and above the gold dust, of subduing the threat to the shinobi world.

Of protecting the people who needed it.

_That _was how he was different from his father. That was how he would finally show this man who had despised him and tried to kill him the change that had been wrought in him.

The sand formed into huge masses, raining down on the Kages at the same time that it swallowed them from underneath.

_This is the end for them._ Gaara thought calmly. _The true end._

An assault of gold dust made its way toward him, but Gaara's sand shield deflected it as easily as flicking a finger. The shock on his father's face was fully apparent.

And then the world seemed to break, and Gaara's father along with it.

"You've truly grown, Gaara…"

If Gaara hadn't been well schooled in the control of his jutsu, he might have dropped his entire defense. As it was, he could only stare at his father, dumbfounded.

Had he just said…

"The only thing a parent needs to do is trust in his children. That's all… and that in itself has true value.

"That's what you meant, Karura, isn't it? It seems… I have no eye for value after all." His father looked up at him mournfully, shaking his head.

Gaara remained frozen, unable to think or even breathe. He was aware that there was a battle going on around him, that he should be concerned about sealing away this threat, but… his father…

"What are you saying...?" His jaw quivered unintentionally as he spoke.

"The sand's protection of you… that's not Shukaku's strength that you wield any longer, but your mother Karura's…

"Your mother truly loved you, Gaara."

"I was… loved by my mother…?" Gaara couldn't even bring himself to look his father in the eyes. All he could focus on was the shaking in his hands and the far off memory of a beautiful woman in a picture.

And…

"But when… when Yashamaru tried to kill me…"

"It was an order."

The explanation that followed struck Gaara like a series of blows. How it was all a ploy to test the control of the One Tails. How Yashamaru's hatred had never been for Gaara, yet he remained a loyal shinobi to the end.

"It was a mistake." The Fourth's voice fell with silent resignation. "It seems as though everything I did was a mistake… You carried all of these enormous burdens. I decided for you what mattered and what didn't.

"I stole your existence and made you a Jinchuuriki. I stole your mother, and your feelings for her. I stole any chance at connections to anyone… and ultimately would have taken your life as well.

"And you were merely left with the wounds in your heart."

Gaara could only continue to stare. His limbs had gone numb where he stood, and his eyes were burning strangely.

Memories of Yashamaru came unbidden. He was speaking of wounds that didn't heal, of antidotes that didn't exist…

Gaara couldn't have stopped the tears even if he had wanted them to cease.

* * *

Airi was allowed to return to the place where she'd been staying previously, on the condition that a medic was supposed to check in on her once every two days. It would have been more frequent, but with the short-handed deployed staff, they could only afford to leave every so often.

It was a comfort to be surrounded by things that were somewhat familiar, even if it meant confinement. For the first few hours, Airi spent her time reacquainting herself with the room, this time through the spatial rather than the visual.

With a few bruises, she quickly learned where the walls and furniture resided.

After that slightly painful reintroduction, she spent a few hours pondering her situation. When she found that to be completely futile, she resigned herself to sleep.

But the sleeping only lasted so long, and when she woke, she was back to the same waking dismay of monotony as the hours before.

* * *

_A/N: Odd how scenes that already have a basis can be the most difficult to write... I took a little artistic license, simply because I had already started the scene when, amazingly, the week I wrote the last chapter, the battle between Gaara and his father began. I tried to stay true to the manga, as I had with his speech... let's hope it was decent. _

_Also, I'm back from vacation! For those who were interested in where my travels took me, I got to visit New York City, among other things, which was quite an interesting trip. Now that I'm back I hopefully will be back to regular, longer updates; however, n__ext update may be a little late as well. Dental surgery = not great for writing. Though who knows? Perhaps it is and I just don't know it yet. _

_And I swear, Gaara and Airi will be reunited SOON. Promise. _

_You readers are all wonderful. Thank you for the reviews and encouragement, and I hope you continue to enjoy!_


	21. Revelations

_Disclaimer: Neither Naruto nor Gaara belongs to me. *sigh*_

* * *

The tent flap opened and fell back quietly, but Gaara didn't bother to turn back to see who it was. Somewhere in the depths of his mind he realized that he _should _care who it was – he was the Kazekage, after all – but other things weighed too heavily.

The person stopped about a foot away from him and she cleared her throat loudly before speaking.

"Gaara."

He didn't lift his head. He just continued to stare at the ground, not seeing the dirt beneath his feet, but in his head, the image of his mother, the only photograph he had of her, over and over. It was the same one he had reviled for so many years, and now all he could see was her face staring out of the frame with love written all over it.

_Love._

"Gaara…" The visitor tried again, taking another step closer to him.

Gaara fingered the tattoo on his forehead, reflexively tracing its lines before he looked up and finally acknowledged her presence.

"Yes?"

Temari's expression didn't belie her worry, but he could sense it there nonetheless. Both she and Kankuro had spent years teaching themselves to show little emotion around their younger brother, for fear that any small shift might set him off. They still hadn't broken the habit, even now that they no longer feared him.

"I just came to tell you…" She stopped, trying alternatively not to stare at his face and to figure out why he looked so strange.

Gaara saw the question in her eyes and stood, swiping a hand under his eyelids. "Tell me what?"

Temari hesitated, but she decided to continue with the news.

"We just heard from Hokage-sama and Raikage-sama… Naruto-kun succeeded. Uchiha Madara is dead."

Gaara's eyes went wide. "So soon?"

The battle with the former Kages had ended only mere hours before. After all were sealed and the casualties accounted for and taken care of, Gaara had retired back to his tent to think. It was his duty as a leader to help his people, but everyone needed time to nurse their losses, including him.

"Yakushi Kabuto as well. We're only just now getting the intel on the situation, but it seems that he was the one controlling the Edo Tensei." She practically spat the name of the jutsu.

"Hmm." Gaara couldn't say he was entirely surprised. He had been the apprentice of Orochimaru, after all.

"There's already been talk of a post-war council." Temari pressed, hoping that something would elicit more of a response from Gaara.

It seemed she had struck the right subject. "If they haven't already settled on a location, I would suggest the sand to host it. The Leaf is still rebuilding and the Cloud has already served as the venue for the council. We are the next most likely to accommodate such a meeting."

Temari nodded. "I'll make sure it's suggested."

"Was there anything else?" Gaara didn't intend to be overly brusque, but this news had given him many things to think about and even more plans to be made.

Temari shook her head and started to turn back to exit the tent, but she hesitated again, this time finding the courage to broach the subject she had been tiptoeing around ever since she entered.

"Are you alright, Gaara?"

Gaara looked at her, his stare strangely blank. After a few moments, a light came into his eyes, and Temari thought she saw the barest hints of a smile play around the corners of his mouth, despite the tears stains that she could now see clearly over his cheeks.

"Yes… I think I am." It was strange to say, but even with his emotions going haywire, Gaara felt strangely… whole. For the first time in his life, the wounds around his heart seemed to be healing.

Temari stared at him for a long moment, her green eyes softening just slightly. "Alright. We'll be finalizing the plans this afternoon, then it will be time to travel again."

Gaara nodded. "I will be there shortly."

Temari left her brother standing in the middle of his tent, the ghost of a smile lingering on his face.

* * *

"What color is this?"

Airi contained her sigh of exasperation. "It's blue."

"Good. Can you see my hand?"

"No…" Airi couldn't keep the edge out of her voice, and she heard the medic shift slightly.

"You seem to be getting exasperated. Do we need to stop?"

The girl's chiming, placating tone was no less than infuriating, and Airi had to clench and unclench her fist to keep herself from yelling out in frustration.

"If you don't mind." She answered carefully. "I don't think this is helping."

"It's just meant to test the extent of the damage." The girl explained as though she was talking to a child, and not a full grown adult who had been living with her blindness for bordering on two weeks now. "We only—"

"I _know_ the extent of the damage!" Airi snapped back. "They told me when they first examined me and before we left the camp and I'm tired of being told! My eyes are damaged, I understand."

Airi couldn't see the girl's reaction, but the stunned silence that followed was enough to gauge it.

"I didn't—" Airi started, but she fell silent when she heard the medic shift again and stand up.

"Perhaps we should continue your evaluations when you are feeling better, Saito-san. Kenji-sempai should be over to check on you soon." With that, the girl left.

Airi fell back on her cot, punching a fist into the wall angrily. That didn't help anything; now her knuckles were radiating with pain and she was still as angry as ever.

This was the second time an examiner had tried to test her and the second time they had deferred to Kenji as the senior medic-nin. Airi knew she was being difficult – it wasn't really the medics' fault that she was the worst patient they had to deal with – but she hated being passed around like a rusty old kunai and she hated being treated like a child and, most of all, she _hated being useless._

It was a wonder they even bothered to treat her at all. It wasn't as though she was going to get any better and she sure as hell had no future in the shinobi world. That was the sad realization she had come to over the past few days. While she was adjusting to her world of darkness, no amount of adjustment would ever get her back to the place she had been.

And worst of all, it meant that she was utterly useless to the one person at whose side she would have remained forever if she had been able.

"Saito-san?"

Strangely the sound of Kenji's voice had become something of a comfort to Airi recently. At least it was something familiar.

"I've heard the medics have been having trouble again." He intoned drily, taking a seat in the chair across from her cot.

"They keep thinking I don't know my diagnosis or something." Airi muttered, and Kenji let out a sigh that spoke of exasperation.

"What am I supposed to do, Saito-san? We're waiting on the experimental treatment, and they're just trying to help in the meantime."

"Well maybe they should stop trying." Airi suggested sarcastically, giving him a wicked grin.

"Or you could stop feeling sorry for yourself and not intimidate my medics." Kenji responded, and Airi's smile fell into a disgruntled frown.

"Or that."

"Kenji-san!" An unfamiliar voice shouted down the hall, and the person stopped in the hallway. Airi sat up, alerted by the tense tone.

"What is it?"

The breathless messenger sounded as surprised as Airi felt when the words left his mouth.

"The Kazekage is returning. The message we received said he should be back in half a day."

"What?" Kenji must have jumped out of his seat, because Airi heard the chair clatter slightly. "Run over to the hospital and tell them to start stocking supplies, I'll be there shortly."

The messenger's footsteps receded down the hallway and Kenji was about to rush out the door as well, but Airi made a guess as to where his shoulder was and reached out and caught it. He turned, slightly startled.

"What's going on?" Airi kept the panic out of her voice, but she couldn't keep her hand from shaking. "Is the Kazekage alright?"

"Did no one inform you?" Kenji's tone was calmer than she expected. "The Kazekage is fine. He's returning for the post-war council, but we also have to treat the wounded returning with him."

"_Post_-war council?" Airi wasn't sure she had heard correctly.

"Yes. The whole village is buzzing about it. I'm surprised no one…" Kenji trailed off, suddenly realized exactly how tactless he sounded. No one _had_ informed Airi of it, because she had no way of seeing what was going on outside of her little room.

"Did you need to see the Kazekage about something?" Kenji tried again. "Perhaps I can have someone contact—"

"No, no." Airi stopped him quickly, shaking her head. "Don't bother him with something like that. There are much more important things the Kazekage has to handle. He… he won't have time to see me."

The statement sent an unexpected pang of melancholy washing through her, and Airi sat back on the cot.

"I'll try to be more patient with the medics." She added as an afterthought, and she thought she heard Kenji chuckle slightly.

"Alright then. I'll be back to check on your condition in a couple of days. And…" he paused thoughtfully. "I'll let you know what's going on in the village."

Airi gave him a wistful smile. "I'd appreciate it."

He left the room, and Airi traced small circles on the surface of her cot, ignoring the prickling sensation at the corners of her eyes.

So the Kazekage was returning to Suna…

* * *

_A/N: So I rescind my statement about dental surgery and writing. It gives me the excuse to be a lazy bum and write rather than attend to the important things I _should_ be doing right about now. Who knew? ^_^_

_Also, I kind of truncated Gaara's fight with his father. It wasn't turning out well any way I wrote it, so you get his mental deliberation instead. _

_And, as always, your reviews and comments are loved and appreciated. _

_(Don't worry, I haven't forgotten my promise. Gaara and Airi should be meeting again quite soon...)_

_- Senka Hitomi_


	22. Hero Worship

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. 'Tis all.

* * *

A few insistent knocks roused Airi from a dream-filled sleep, and she rubbed at her eyes a little before finding her way to the door. The room seemed uncharacteristically warm, which she took to mean she had fallen asleep in the middle of the day again.

Reaching for the door handle, she tensed just slightly, a habit that seemed to have developed over the past few days. With no idea of what was going on just outside her door, she had to be prepared for just about anything.

"Saito Airi?"

The voice that greeted Airi was unfamiliar. Her grip on the door handle tightened.

"Who's asking?"

The person cleared his throat nervously. "I've come from the office of the Kazekage to deliver a message."

In an instant, Airi's entire posture changed. She released her grip on the door handle, folding her arms and standing up straighter. Her ears were instantly attuned to every minute sound that left the messenger's mouth.

"I'm Saito Airi. What is the message?" She fought to keep the urgency out of her voice, but even then, she spoke too quickly, unable to contain her eagerness to hear something, _anything_, about the condition of the Kazekage. Was he back yet? Had he sustained any injuries? When was the post-war council set to begin?

Among the dozens of questions floating through her head, one seemed to bob just below the surface, tugging away from the dark recesses of her fears.

_What if he doesn't want to see me?_

"I'll need your finger." The messenger stated. "The message is chakra-encoded, so I can only read it once it's been confirmed that you are really Saito Airi."

Somewhat reluctantly, Airi stuck out her hand, and the messenger guided it to the paper. She released a bit of her chakra, and she found herself surprised by the feeling of it. How long had it been since she had even been able to use her chakra? Two weeks, maybe three? Time had fallen out of meaning, but it was still strange to realize how long it had been.

She lowered her hand as the messenger cleared his throat and began to read.

"Saito Airi,

"While waiting for the results of your examination—" Airi suppressed a sigh. _The results from the poison, which would seemingly never come. _"—you are to be moved to the medical facility adjacent to the residence of the Kazekage. The messenger sent to you will guide you to the location and further information will be given to you upon your arrival."

The messenger paused, and Airi heard him shift the scroll slightly, as though he were examining something.

"That part was standard script." He explained, sounding slightly perplexed. "The rest of this is someone else's handwriting."

Airi's heart leapt involuntarily at the thought of to whom that second script might belong. She didn't – _couldn't_ – dare to hope that it might be from…

The messenger continued with the letter.

"As a result of your service to the Kazekage, you're going to be up for review before the Council. The review is set for tomorrow; either my brother or I will be arriving to escort you, so don't worry about trying to find your way there. The council would like to keep it as mysterious as possible, but I thought you should have a little heads-up. Nothing to worry about, just standard practice during this post-war transition period."

The second part was far more informal than the first and Airi didn't recognize the style of the writer. She waited for the messenger to finish, her interest further piqued by the slight tone of shock with which he read the letter. Whoever this person was, it must have been someone important.

When she realized that the messenger was still at a loss for words, Airi prodded him to speak.

"Who is the message from?"

"The… Temari-sama." He finally got out, amending whatever his original statement was going to be.

Airi raised an eyebrow. While she had seen the daughter of the Fourth on many occasions, she had never actually spoken to her. The eldest of the Sand Siblings was little more than a distant figure to Airi. She'd certainly heard that Temari-sama was one of the toughest and most capable kunoichi produced in a generation, but aside from that, she knew next to nothing about the girl. Why she'd be sending such an informal letter to a lowly Chuunin like herself was beyond Airi's power to comprehend.

The messenger seemed considerably impressed, regardless. "It'd be my honor to escort you back to the other medical facility, Saito-san. You don't have to worry about your possessions. They'll be sending those along shortly."

Still more concerned with the contents of the second message than her transfer to a new room, Airi just nodded and followed the messenger out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

A hearing before the Council was bad enough, but _tomorrow_? Airi grimaced, recalling her last encounter with the council, the one which had resulted in the battle that landed her in the hospital.

_At least this time you're already starting out in a medical facility._ A snide voice in the back of her head reminded her.

Her frown deepened. That was by no means a comforting thought…

They had walked for quite a ways before the messenger got up the courage to speak again. He cleared his throat anxiously and Airi's miserable thoughts dispelled in an instant, receding to the back of her mind, from which they could resurface later. She tilted her head in the direction of his footsteps, wondering if he planned to continue.

"So… you're the one who saved the Kazekage?"

Airi shrugged, turning her head away from him slightly. So that was why he had been so impressed. "I was his bodyguard before I was injured, yes."

She found it difficult to confirm the man's statement; sure, she had jumped in front of an attacker in an attempt to save the Kazekage, but did that mean she had really _saved_ him? Over the past few days, she'd had quite a bit of time to think over the scenario in her head, and the conclusion she'd come to wasn't quite the same one that the messenger suggested: she'd been willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of the Kazekage, but chances are, even if she hadn't done it, his Ultimate Defense would have saved him regardless.

She couldn't make herself claim credit for something she wasn't even sure she had done.

"That's incredible." The messenger said softly, his voice nearly dripping with awe and envy.

Airi smiled slightly, not wanting to seem as though she was sorry for her sacrifice. That was the last thing she needed anyone to think. Even if she did think jumping in front of the attacker might not have accomplished anything that wouldn't have happened anyway, she would have chosen the same path a thousand times over, given the opportunity.

"It was my duty." She answered simply.

"Oh, but it's all anybody's talking about these days!" The messenger insisted. "That and the Kazekage's battle with the Fourth, but you should hear the way they talk about it at the market. You're practically a god in their eyes. Everybody wants to meet the kunoichi who saved our beloved Kazekage.

"Just imagine what a state we'd be in if you hadn't." he added, and Airi felt a familiar fear clutch at her gut, rendering her almost immobile. Such a thought was beyond her comprehension.

"I can't even imagine." She responded quietly. The Kazekage had to remain safe, alive and well… there just wasn't any other way.

"Really though," the messenger continued, "they talk about how tragic it is, you being almost fatally injured and all and the…"

He stopped, and for a moment, Airi felt anger rise unbidden, bubbling hot in her throat, thinking that he like everyone else was too afraid to name her condition for what it was.

Blindness. Debilitating, unbearable blindness that made her useless to them now, except as some figure of legend and tragedy.

Just as she thought she might no longer be able to hold in her resentment, the real reason for the messenger's sudden pause made itself apparent. Airi heard him stutter, and she suddenly realized they were no longer alone in the hallway they had just entered.

"K-Kazekage-sama." The messenger managed to get out, his voice shaking with awe and respect.

Airi froze, every muscle in her body sent into a state of sudden shock. She became suddenly very aware of the way her blood was pounding out of control through her head, sending a flush blossoming across her cheeks.

"Good afternoon."

Just the sound of his voice, not heard in what seemed like a lifetime, sent a shiver up Airi's spine. So he _was _back already. Even having heard the reports, it hadn't been real to her until now, and a new sense of relief washed over her, along with a completely different set of fears from her earlier ones.

As if he had suddenly noticed something, Gaara's breath hitched – Airi hadn't realized she had been so completely attentive to every sound he made until that moment.

"Airi…"

Her name, so plainly spoken, awoke too many emotions in Airi to possibly combat at once. She bit her lip to keep from smiling or crying out or any of the other million conflicting things she felt like doing at that moment, none of which were appropriate for the situation.

'How must he see me now?' she thought, ashamed and elated all at once. 'Now that I'm in this condition?'

_Don't ever let your duty become personal._ Her father's words sprang to the top of her mind. There was too much to be done for the Shinobi world at this point for her to be worried about her own selfish feelings. She knew what she had to do, painful as it was.

"Good afternoon, Kazekage-sama. We were just on our way. We're sorry if we've disturbed you." She inclined her head briefly then walked on, followed by the uneven footsteps of the messenger as he tried to catch up.

When they were far enough along, Airi motioned him to go on ahead of her, making sure she was well out of the corridor before she allowed those few stray tears to slip away from her lashes.

* * *

_A/N: It's been far too long. August and September have been very busy for me, and things probably won't slow down for a while, but hopefully I'll get some writing time in here and there. _

_For those of you who read the manga, is it just me, or has it been amazing recently? Gaara's had his battle with his father, Naruto's kicking butt and taking names, and now we're about to get ANOTHER Gaara battle! Needless to say, I'm a happy reader. :)_

_And going back to my own humble interpretations of Kishimoto's genius__, as I promised... look who has been reunited! (Even if it was for like... five seconds. But hey, we're getting there, right? ^_^)_

_Anywho, thoughts, comments? Reviews are adored. Psh... who I am kidding? The fact that you all are reading this at all is adored! Thank you, my lovely readers! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

_- Senka_


	23. Past and Prospects

Airi's eyes were fully dry by the time she reached her new room, and the messenger left her shortly thereafter, though not without a few more awed questions. In the silence after his departure, however, Airi found herself feeling more alone than ever.

She stuck her hands out from her sides to get a feeling of how large the room was.

_Bigger than anywhere I've ever stayed. _She concluded with amazement when her hands didn't even brush the walls as she spun around all the way. She reached around to find the bed and sat down, running her hand along the surface of the soft blanket that covered it.

"I guess this is what you get, when you're a guest of the Kazekage's residence…" She muttered with slight amazement.

Airi spent a few more minutes trying to figure out the details of the room, as she had done with every place she'd ever stayed. She was so absorbed in her task that at first she didn't even notice the low chatter of voices in the hallway that was slowly growing louder as it neared her door.

"…let me see her. I'm her sister!"

"We don't have it on file, miss, and we can't risk a security breach."

"Then your files are wrong! I'm telling you, look at the stinkin' census records if you have to! I'm her full-blooded sister."

Airi's head perked up, particularly when she realized that the first voice, which had a high sort of lyrical lilt to it, was one she was sure she recognized.

Poking her head out the door, Airi heard two gasps, one of pure exasperation and the other of surprise.

"Saito-san, you really—"

"Airi…" The voice Airi had recognized was subdued. She heard a gentle shuffling of footsteps and the air around her changed slightly, and she could feel someone very near her.

"Oh wow…" The voice said softly.

The voice which had put up an argument, which Airi had now identified as belonging to a guard, gave another exasperated sigh, but seemed resigned to the fact that his task was a fruitless one.

"It's alright." Airi reassured him. "I know her. She can come in."

"If you think it's alright…" the guard said warily, and Airi nodded her assent more enthusiastically.

"Really."

The guard's footsteps receded down the hallway, and Airi was left standing in her doorsill, facing someone she hadn't come in contact with for probably the better part of three or four years. Unsure of what to do, she turned around and made her way back into the room, gesturing at where she could only guess her guest was.

"You can come in, I guess."

Hesitant footsteps followed, and Airi heard the creak of a chair near a corner of the room that she hadn't really explored.

"Oh good, there's a chair." She remarked, her attempt at lightening the situation falling as flat as an unbalanced shuriken.

"Airi, you…" The girl paused; her tone was almost one of fright, and Airi couldn't say she blamed her.

"You look just the same." She finally got out. "Pretty as ever. I was always so jealous of that when I was a little girl. Did I ever tell you that?"

Growing more uncomfortable by the minute, Airi cut her off. "Is everything alright, Emi? Did something happen with Ayano? Are you—"

"She's fine, she's fine." Emi cut her off, letting the conversation lapse into silence. Anything was better than that nervous chatter, in Airi's opinion.

"Minako's taken good care of us since… well, since then." She continued softly. "We were just…"

The words were coming with difficulty, and Airi drew her legs up reflexively underneath her where she sat on the bed.

Of all the mistakes in her life –and there were many— there was one that Airi kept closest to her, buried like a thorn in a long-sealed scar. Angry as she had been at her father and her brother for dying in the line of duty, Airi was the worst of them all in terms of abandonment. She'd made it her mission to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, but in the meantime, she'd left two sisters behind, who by now barely even knew her.

It wasn't as though they had been neglected… or at least she told herself that to still the guilty pangs of grievance that gripped her every time she considered it. After their mother had passed on and her father and brother had begun accepting more missions, the next-door neighbor, a kind old lady with one grown child who had long ago been killed in one of the shinobi conflicts, had for a large part taken over the role of nurturer for Airi's two younger siblings, Emi and Ayano. Respectively two and three years younger than Airi herself, the girls had still needed a mother figure. Neither one of them had ever expressed the desire to become a shinobi, so, quite plainly, Airi couldn't have even known how to relate.

"We were worried… about you." Emi finally finished, and Airi raised an eyebrow, resisting the urge to chuckle.

"Worried about me?" She repeated, attempting to keep the incredulity out of her voice.

"We didn't even know you were back until about a week ago." Emi explained, and Airi could hear the guilt in her voice already, which only made the feeling of sickness churning in her stomach all the worse. "I heard the story of the Kazekage's savior one day at the market, but I didn't catch the name until the next day. Before that, for all we knew, you were just like… well, you…"

Emi trailed off and Airi was compelled to finish the sentence for her. "You were afraid I'd end up like father. And Masaru."

The loaded silence confirmed the truth of her words.

Airi opened her mouth to explain further, but her words stuck in her throat, weighed down by skeptical thoughts.

What excuse could she even offer, after all? That she hadn't had the time to contact them? Because, while she hadn't exactly had an abundance of leisure time, a simple letter wouldn't have been too much to ask. Should she say that she hadn't wanted to see them? Well, that wasn't true either, and hurting her sister worse than she likely already had was not going to help matters.

Aside from that, Airi was left with the truth. But that, she thought, was the worst explanation of them all, and one she barely even liked to admit to herself.

Perhaps… perhaps the reason she hadn't contacted them was because, at the core of her being, she knew that they were far better off without her.

* * *

"Kazekage-sama."

The voice addressing Gaara was dangerously insistent, so much so that it would have bordered on insubordination from anyone other than his sister.

"Hmm?" He looked at her without really seeing her, not taking in her painfully clear expression of annoyance, nor the more subtle tones of worry that expressed themselves in the faint lines around her eyes and downturned mouth. His thoughts were somewhere far off, and they were slow in coming back to the present.

"Gaara…" Temari surveyed the area doubtfully. The hallway in which they were standing was empty save for them and the occasional desert plant that had been placed for aesthetic purposes by some useless bureaucrat who thought it might "liven up the place." When she was positive that no one was around, she returned to what she had been about to say.

"What in the hell is wrong with you lately? You've been fine in council meetings, but in the intervening time, I don't know where you even _go_. I might as well be talking to this wall for all that you're listening." She remarked wryly, patting the aforementioned structure to emphasize her point.

"It's not that I don't think you need some time to your own thoughts, but I'm starting to worry."

Gaara didn't answer for a few moments. The situations of reality were beginning to come back to him, but still only about half of Temari's words were actually sinking in.

"It was like she… didn't recognize…" he muttered to himself, and Temari looked at him with even more bafflement.

It was time to try a different tactic.

"Gaara, the village is on fire."

Temari's statement apparently had the intended effect; while alarm rose to Gaara's eyes for only a moment, quickly resolving into his normal composure, she now had his attention.

"You shouldn't say things like that, even in jest."

Temari grinned wryly, shrugging it off. "Got you back from wherever you were, didn't it? Now, you mind telling me what in the world is going on?"

'Sometimes, it would be nice to go back to the days when she and Kankuro feared me, and weren't so concerned for my well-being…' Gaara thought. 'Not that I precisely know what is wrong with myself either.'

"What were you saying?"

"I was saying that you obviously have your mind on something else. It may not concern me, but if it's distracting you to this extent, it's better to address it before it becomes a serious problem."

"That wasn't what I meant." Gaara said. "I meant what you were saying about the budgets for the festival."

"Gaara, stop avoiding it." Temari said flatly. She was not going to let this go without a fight, even if Gaara had been paying attention a bit more than she thought he had. Regardless, Temari had never found herself to be a particularly patient person, and this situation was no exception. "You said something about not recognizing earlier, and that's only been since this afternoon. What _happened_?

Gaara returned his sister's flat stare with an impenetrable gaze, knowing his silence would just make her all the more furious. He truly didn't want to draw Temari's ire, but he simply couldn't make himself speak his mind. Lately his mind had been in a tug of war the likes of which he hadn't experienced since before the removal of Shukaku. Two warring factions seemed to be struggling within him, one of which was intent on shouting his every inner thought to the edges of Suna, and the other of which was intent on keeping these strange feeling locked within him for all eternity, if need be.

And it all revolved around the encounter this afternoon. That was the one discernable fact Gaara had been able to glean from this mental turmoil. The fact that Airi had heard him, that he'd tried to speak to her, and she just…

His thoughts stopped there, unable to go any further, his mind filled with the image of that blank stare, the one which had once been full of vibrant life and now was so hauntingly empty.

"Fine. If you're not going to tell me, you're not. Just try to focus, okay?" Temari grumpily abandoned the subject for the moment, turning back to the tasks at hand. Maybe later, when there wasn't so much planning to be done, Gaara might actually return to the subject, but for now, this discussion, which was rapidly going nowhere, was doing neither of them any good.

"Now, about those budgets…"

* * *

Emi finally managed to break the silence.

"Ayano didn't want to come. I tried to convince her, but she said she didn't really remember and she couldn't bear to see. I think she's lying, but—"

"She's probably not." Airi interrupted, giving her sister a grim smile. Unable to gauge Emi's reaction to her abrupt assertion, she added: "I don't blame her for not wanting to see me."

Emi cleared her throat anxiously, and Airi silently cursed herself for making the situation even more uncomfortable than it already had been. Emi had always been a bit on the emotional side, which meant that Airi had to tread carefully with what she said.

She seemed to have forgotten that quite readily.

"Well, she was wrong." Emi countered, the quiet defiance in her voice so reminiscent of their older brother that for a moment Airi's breath almost choked in her throat.

If Airi's eyesight had been intact and healthy, she would have seen the long trails of tears that were now surging down her sister's cheeks, a mirror to a memory at a graveside that was long ago buried in Airi's subconscious. But as it was, Emi cried silently, trying not to let the distress seep through to her voice.

"Airi…" Emi paused and Airi was forced to wait, unable to even vaguely perceive what might be coming next. "Minako and I talked for a long time about… about your condition. And she told me… told me to tell you, that is, that if you need a place to stay…"

"So that's what this is about." Airi didn't mean for her voice to come across quite so harshly, but it sounded that way regardless.

Emi watched her sister silently, seeing the same wounded pride that had etched the outline of every foggy memory she had of their father.

The anger and melancholy chasing through Airi subsided and she settled on resolve instead.

"I appreciate the offer, but I have to think. They're keeping me in the medical facility for now, and I'm scheduled for review before the council tomorrow. But once that's determined and I…"

The prospect of what the review might result in was still too much to handle and Airi skirted around it.

"I'll contact you all once that process is done."

She knew she should say more. Should apologize for leaving them so soon after Masaru, for being so reckless in her own life, for _something_… but she'd never been particularly good at apologizing either.

The chair creaked and a shadow moved across her sight spots, blocking out the dull color in the room that she could actually perceived. She felt a warm pressure on her hands as Emi clasped them gently.

"Alright." A stray drop of water fell one of Airi's hands, and she immediately knew her sister had been crying, but she found herself even more at a loss for words.

Emi didn't seem to mind, however, squeezing her sister's hands once more before stepping away.

"It's good to see you, nee-san."

* * *

_A/N: Well, that chapter was depressing. Despair not, however, dear readers! It will... well, you'll just have to see, now won't you? ^_^ _

_On the plus side, I've finally gotten back to a decent chapter length. Thank goodness. _

_Also, thank you, thank you, _thank you _for all of your reviews/favorites/story-alert-adds. They truly brighten my day._

_And, as always, I wish you happy reading! (Which I realize is somewhat odd to say at the _bottom_ of the chapter which you've presumably just_ already_ read, but still...)_

_- Senka_


	24. The Council's Determination

The council chamber was shrouded in darkness, making the figures of the council members impossible to distinguish from the chairs in which they sat.

"Saito Airi, your case has been reviewed, and the council has come to a consensus." The voice was aged and cold. Airi strained forward, her shoulders tensed in anticipation. This hearing could make or break her entire existence.

The room seemed to lighten for a moment, and the speaker stepped forward, moving from the seat normally occupied by the Kazekage to rest his palms on the table. The Kazekage himself was nowhere to be found, having been absent for the full duration of the council.

"Based on your current condition, you have been relieved of duty permanently. The village no longer has any use for you. You will be moved to a location outside the village, in isolation, for knowledge of village intelligence. We cannot let such a liability loose into the world."

Airi was paralyzed, her hands fixed in an iron grip on the armrests. "W-what?"

"Immediately, Saito-san."

Airi found her feet, pounding her fist on the table. The room swam unsteadily, growing unseasonably warm in an instant.

"You can't do this. What about my service? What about the _Kazekage_? And my condition… I don't know what you're even talking about! I can see you! I can see you all clearly! Can't you see that?" Her voice rose with panic, and she felt her face swell where angry tears were threatening to burst forth.

"Immediately, Saito-san," The voice repeated, echoing in a manner it shouldn't have in the solid chamber.

The image began to blur in front of Airi, and she began to feel faint. "You can't… you can't…"

The darkness returned and the heat became blazing. The last thing she recalled was a flash of green, and then nothing.

* * *

Airi woke in a cold sweat with someone pounding on her door. She shot up too quickly and her head smacked into the wall with alarming force. With pain blossoming across her entire scalp and her limbs trembling out of control, she blundered toward the door, cursing under her breath.

"Who is it?" She rested her forehead against the cool surface of the door, straining to focus through the haze caused by the formation of bruises on the back of her head.

"Uh…" a deep voice rumbled hesitantly through the wall. "It's Kankuro. I'm here to escort you..."

"…to the hearing." Airi finished for him, coherent thoughts finally breaking through as the pain in her head began to recede to a dull ache.

"Yeah," came the reply. "Temari did tell you… right?"

"Yes, she told me," Airi mumbled, running a hand through her rumpled hair as she stepped away from the door. Her fingers stretched out, attempting to locate the bureau and a clean tunic. She grimaced as she came across the one she was fairly certain she'd worn at least three times in the last week.

This task might be easier said than done.

"I'll be right out." She called, failing to ignore the way raising her voice added an extra dimension of pain to her already swimming head. "Am I late?"

"Not at all." Kankuro called back, and Airi could have sworn she heard a hint of chuckle in his voice. "I came a little early. The council member who sent me mentioned something about you having a habit of being late for meetings?"

Airi almost let out an audible sigh at the memory of her last disastrous appearance before the council, but at that moment, a clean tunic took the opportunity to present itself, and the thoughts of the past were erased. She changed, brushing down the fabric reflexively to rid it of any dust or sand that might have settled in. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence in the desert, after all.

She ran a brush through her hair with quick strokes, grateful for the hundredth time that it was short and straight, and consequently very easy to manage. The last thing she grabbed before opening the door was a pouch of kunai and her scroll, just in case. Useless as she seemed in her own mind, she still felt the need to be armed properly.

Kankuro was reclining just outside the door, and started slightly when she threw it open mere moments later.

Testing a technique she'd been experimenting with for a short while, Airi released just the slightest bit of chakra in the form of wind and traced its path, noting where it skirted around larger objects to determine the placement of things. She turned to where the technique indicated that her escort should be.

"I suppose we should get going."

"Sure thing, kid." Kankuro fell in step beside her, but shrunk back slightly when he noticed the way her face had suddenly gone cold.

"Right, forgot you don't really do nicknames." He chided himself. "Sorry, old habits die hard, right?"

Airi shrugged slightly, but she found it hard to retain any anger. Of all the people she had talked to since her… _accident_, Kankuro was the only one who had really made her feel comfortable. Maybe it was just the lump on her head talking, but it seemed like he talked to her like nothing had changed, like she was still a capable shinobi, like she was still a normal _person_.

Like she was still his equal.

"It's better than _girl_, I guess." She admitted grudgingly, which drew a laugh from her companion.

"Yeah… did I ever apologize for that?" He laughed nervously again, and Airi's face crinkled into a half smile.

"Even if you didn't, I'll take that as an apology."

The comfortable conversation carried them all the way to the council chamber. They never broached the subject of the war or her blindness; they only joked about how stuffy the majority of the council members were and Kankuro described to her how the local girls had been fawning over him recently, information to which Airi responded with considerable skepticism, but neither of them really seemed to take any of it seriously, laughing it off easily.

It was a much-needed reprieve, Airi thought.

Only when they reached the door to the council chamber did the cold tendrils of nervousness once again make themselves known in the pit of Airi's stomach. She tried to suppress the outward manifestations of her fear, but apparently a few still seeped through, because Kankuro caught her arm insistently just as she moved to enter the chamber.

"Don't let them bully you into anything." He muttered quietly, and just from his voice, Airi could tell that he was as nervous as she was. It only briefly occurred to her to wonder why.

"I'm not sure what's going to happen in that council, but you're a hero, you know. No one, especially not those old geezers, should convince you otherwise."

A hand gripped her shoulder and Airi tensed slightly as she sensed the space between them close somewhat, but her anxiety eased as she realized that he still had maintained a respectful distance.

"Just know that you have people who support you. You saved my kid brother, and I _won't_ forget that. Temari either. You're a top-class shinobi, no doubt about it, and the whole village owes a hell of a lot to you."

A surge of gratitude brought a flush to Airi's face, and she nodded slowly, wishing that her eyes still functioned, so that she might catch a glimpse of the sincerity in his tone that mirrored itself in his expression.

"Thank you." She murmured.

The hand removed itself from her shoulder, and Kankuro stepped back, grinning.

"Knock 'em dead, kid."

* * *

The council chamber was so utterly silent when Airi entered that for a moment she worried that she had come to the wrong place. Then the scrape of a chair over the floor broke the silence, and an arm guided her to a seat, which she took uneasily.

"Saito Airi?"

The same voice that had echoed through her fevered dream pierced the silence, and Airi surreptitiously pinched the skin on the back of her hand.

_No… still conscious_.

"Present."

"You have been brought before the council of Suna today," the voice drawled, "to discuss the services you performed during the course of the Fourth Shinobi World War and to assess your continued future as a shinobi of the realm. Are there any objections thus far?"

It took Airi a moment to realize they were waiting for a response from _her_.

"None." She answered quietly.

The droning voice continued. "Then we will proceed. All of the council members present have been informed of the circumstances surrounding your current condition, Saito-san. Do any members of the council feel the need to reopen the floor for discussion of these circumstances?"

A subdued chorus of "no's" echoed around the room.

"Then there is no doubt of the service that Saito-san has given to the village by her act of bravery in saving our Kazekage. Consequently, Saito-san, at the festival and formal ceremony celebrating the end of the war, which will occur in approximately one week, you will be awarded with the highest honor our village has the authority to bestow."

Airi was at a loss for words, so she simply nodded her assent.

"We are all in agreement on this matter, so we will continue to the next topic of discussion." The speaker stopped, clearing his throat. "That of your future, Saito-san."

At those words, Airi's blood went cold.

"Obviously, the nature of your disability has been brought before the council. The idea of a blind shinobi is not untried. Certainly, in the history of the shinobi world, we have produced some brilliant warriors who have worked around their… inabilities, shall we say. It is not impossible to train a shinobi to accommodate the loss of sight.

"However," his tone shifted slightly, and Airi wished he would just get to whatever point he seemed to be driving at. "there is also no doubt that this training will be more strenuous and dangerous than any you have previously attempted, Saito-san. If this is the path you choose, the road ahead of you will be one of many hardships."

"And if she chooses not to return to the shinobi lifestyle?" A council member off to the right voiced Airi's unspoken thoughts, the ones that had haunted her since the council was first mentioned, made all the more real by the nightmare of that morning. She strained her ears, waiting for the response of the droning council member.

But it was not the droning council member who responded.

"If she so chooses," a voice answered, "she will be allowed a return to civilian life here in the village. The most honored of civilians."

The familiarity of that voice made Airi warm and cold all at once, and an inexplicable shiver shook her shoulders. After their rather curt meeting the other day, Airi had half expected him not to be here at all.

"And how long does she have to decide, Kazekage-sama?" another of the council members inquired.

"We believe that a month should be sufficient. By then, conclusive results on the poison should also have been obtained." Gaara replied calmly.

"If," he added, "that is acceptable to Airi?"

Airi lifted her head to the source of his voice, hoping irrationally that he could see the apology in her dead eyes. She saw no comforting green in the sight spots, merely darkness.

"Of course, Kazekage-sama. I appreciate your consideration."

"If there are no further questions, Saito-san, I think this will conclude our meeting." The droning voice resumed speaking, finishing the last of the council formalities, but Airi had ceased listening long ago.

She felt suddenly empty, as though just by losing Gaara's voice, she had lost any connection to him. He could have left the room, left the _village_ for all she knew; he certainly felt far enough away.

Her limited world had once again been eclipsed by the darkness of solitude.

* * *

The Kazekage was one of the last people to exit the council chamber. He stood slowly, his eyes still fixed to the place she had stood only moments before.

One month. Had they given too little time to consider such an ultimatum? The world seemed to be speeding by Gaara recently, and he wondered if it seemed that way to everyone else. He had a feeling that that month would come and go before anyone even really had time to consider it.

And that look on her face… so completely different than anything he had ever seen reflected in her strong features. She looked…

She looked…

_Broken. _

The idea filled Gaara with a rage he hadn't experienced since his days as a Jinchuuriki, when he was possessed by the hatred of the Shukaku. He could only explain the anger as an insatiable desire to make those who had hurt her recognize the excruciating loss they had caused.

But then again, couldn't he be held accountable for her injuries as much as any of those monsters who attacked the camp?

That thought subdued the rage and filled him with a different emotion, one with which he was not so familiar.

Leaving his papers on the council table, Gaara left the room, a new determination building inside him.

He had some preparation to do.

* * *

_A/N: Well... first, I'd just like to express how incredibly sorry I am for not updating promptly. If you've seen the note on my profile, you know why. I genuinely hate going this long without writing, but it seemed like my schedule just exploded during the month of October, so by the time I even was able to sit down and write, I was too exhausted to do so. I feel like I've finally got a little bit of my inspiration back, but we'll see how that goes. I apologize in advance if the next few installments are a bit spaced out, but my muse appears to be a fickle creature and my health has not been altogether kind to me recently. _

_I'd like to thank all my readers. (Again.) You all are just fantastic, and every time I read your thoughts on the story, it makes me smile. (By the by, 94 reviews? That's six away from 100! If I can make it to that by chapter 25, I will be one terribly happy writer. I'm so grateful to have even gotten 94. ^_^)_

_Until inspiration next strikes, happy reading!_

_Senka_


	25. Preparations

The next week was a blur; the entire village was making preparations for the festival and ceremony, while shinobi from across the five nations poured into Suna. Vendors of all kinds were run through security before being allowed to set up their wares along the main thoroughfares of the city. Lanterns were strung from every one of the buildings, like bright flowers that held back the darkness.

Meanwhile, in the medical facility adjacent to the Kazekage's residence, one girl felt less like celebrating than she ever had in her entire existence.

Airi sat on her bed in a simple black shift, fingering the fabric of the kimono lying across it. She didn't know much about the garment; it had simply been delivered to her earlier in the week with the stipulation that it was to be worn on the evening of the ceremony. No one had thought to describe it to her, but from the patterns she could feel in the stitches, she knew it must be quite elaborate. From the sight spots at the corner of her eyes, she could make out that it was mostly dark green, the color of Suna.

She just wished she could see it in detail.

Despite her relative solitude in the medical facility, she still had occasional visits from the medics who came to check up on her, and Kankuro had taken to visiting every other day, just to talk. How he even had any free time with all the preparation to be done, Airi couldn't guess. Now that she was alone, however, she really didn't know what to do. She was almost afraid even to move, let alone start preparing for the ceremony. What if she were to prepare, but completely make a fool of herself because she hadn't done it properly? Maybe she would put the kimono on inside-out, or if she even attempted to put her hair up, maybe it would be unbalanced. How would she even know without her sight?

She put her head between her hands. How much would it really cost her just not to go to this stupid thing? It was just another reminder of the decision that lay ahead of her, the one that loomed over her every waking thought, the one she had concluded was almost certainly decided for her. How could she continue to be a shinobi, and why did it even matter that she was being honored for her bravery? Any victory at this point was little more than hollow.

'But it's not.' That annoying chiming voice in the back of her head seemed to say. 'It saved his life, didn't it?'

"He would have survived whether I'd been there or not." She muttered to herself, standing to move to the dresser, facing the mirror that would do her absolutely no good. "And I'm just an idiot for thinking that I even made any difference."

She braced her hands against the firm wood, her head hanging down so that her chin touched her chest. Not for the first time that week – or even that _day_ – she had to fight angry tears away from brimming to the surface.

'Perfect.' She thought with scorn. 'My eyes are a wreck, but of course my tear ducts remain perfectly intact.'

She pressed her palms to her eyes, as if that was going to stop the tears from flowing. But just as the fight against crying was becoming a losing battle, a knock sounded at her door.

"Airi-san?"

The voice was familiar, but Airi couldn't quite place it. One of the nurses, perhaps?

"Come in." At this point, knocking was more of a formality. Despite the fact that this room was designed to provide her more protection as an honored shinobi of Suna, she didn't bother to lock the doors. If someone was determined to assassinate or kidnap her, they would have gotten in, locks or no locks.

The door opened and closed quietly, and a light hand touched her shoulder.

"How can I help?"

Airi laughed a little, swiping at her eyes. Now she could place the voice. It was the sister of the Kazekage, Temari. And here she was, _crying_. Some wonderful impression she was making.

"I don't even know where to start." Her voice came out considerably weaker-sounding than she cared to think about.

"Well, it seems a shame to just leave this kimono sitting here." Temari suggested gently, and Airi could hear the rustle of fabric as she picked it up off the bed. "Hold out your arm."

She did as she was instructed, and Temari helped to drape the silk fabric over her shoulders. Airi started to pull it tight around her torso, but then stopped uncertainly. Having not been the honored guest of many festivals over the years, her knowledge of formal dress was severely lacking.

"Left over right?"

"Yes. Here, do you need the obi?" Airi nodded, holding her free hand out to take it. When she had secured the fabric properly, she wrapped it around her waist, fumbling a bit as she reached the back.

"Could you help?" She asked uncertainly. Slightly callused hands took the fabric out of her grip, tying the obi securely.

"Just let me know if you start to feel like you can't breathe." Temari said jokingly and Airi let out a small chuckle. It felt good to laugh, like a bit of the weight that seemed to have settled on her chest had been dissolved.

Temari finished with the obi and Airi smoothed the fabric down reflexively, marveling at how smooth the silk felt under her hands. Even reluctant as she was to attend this gathering, she had to admit, the kimono seemed absolutely beautiful.

"Now, what about your hair?"

Airi grabbed a loose strand of her honey-colored locks, which were currently molded into a haphazard bun at the nape of her neck.

"It's very short." She said with some regret in her voice. "I'm not sure there's much to be done with it."

"I'm sure we can find something." Temari said confidently, and Airi heard the scrape of metal across the floor as she pulled the chair away from the vanity. "Come and sit. I'll see what I can do."

Airi pulled her hair out of the messy bun, trying to smooth it down as best she could. As Temari ran the comb through her hair carefully, Airi felt the tears rise again. She was so tired of crying, but she couldn't seem to stop herself.

She wondered if this was what it felt like to have an older sister. Her own sisters had always seemed so distant to her… just babies, comparatively. She had never been that source of support for them. The role of a mother had been taken on more by their next-door neighbor. By the time their father died, they didn't have much need for her anyway and she had her own goals.

Airi didn't even realize she was speaking until the words had already left her mouth.

"How did you know? That I'd be…"

She could practically feel the shift in the air as Temari shrugged. "Nervous? Chock it up to intuition, I guess. I just figured you might be unsure about all this. Even if you didn't need help, I thought you might at least want someone to talk to."

Airi sniffled quietly. Her words came out as little more than a whisper.

"I was so afraid I was going to look like a complete idiot. Still am, as a matter of fact."

She tilted her head back up, her voice going hard with repulsion.

"When did I get so weak?"

Temari continued to work the comb through her hair, seemingly unfazed.

"From what my brothers have told me, you're not weak. Farthest thing from, actually. The way Kankuro and Gaara talk about you, I was beginning to get the impression that you were some kind of goddess."

Airi blushed, but she couldn't bring herself to ask exactly which comments that assumption was based on.

"But you're not weak, Airi." The older girl continued. "You're coping. If _I_ had just lost my sight, I'd probably be a basket case. I happen to think you're taking it remarkably well."

Airi snorted derisively. "I wouldn't say well..."

"Okay," Temari amended, "you're not spouting gibberish or going on a crazy rampage. I consider that pretty damn good for someone whose entire world has been turned pretty much upside-down."

That brought a laugh out of Airi. "Thanks."

"No problem." The older girl clipped something into Airi's hair and made the finishing touches on it before stepping away. "There. Not bad at all, kid."

Slightly afraid that she might damage whatever Temari had done, Airi brought a hand up hesitantly to touch her hair.

'Flowers.' She realized.

"That alright?"

Airi smiled one of the first genuine smiles she had been able to manage in the days since the council hearing.

"Perfect."

* * *

Half an hour later – and with considerably more makeup than Airi was quite sure she was comfortable with – Temari deemed her finished.

"You ready for this shindig?"

Airi really wasn't so sure, but she nodded anyway. If she wasn't prepared by this point, she never would be.

Temari kept up a constant stream of chatter as she guided Airi down the hall. She had a running list of all the Shinobi who would be attending from the five nations, but Airi didn't know who most of them were. She merely let Temari talk and tried not to focus too much how badly this night might end.

Not that it stopped her from thinking about it…

"…and Uzumaki's supposed to be here. I certainly hope you get the chance to meet him. He's quite a character." Temari paused for a moment. "Did they tell you about your escort?"

Airi snapped back out of her thoughts, vaguely aware that Temari had just asked her a question.

"What?"

"So nervous she doesn't even hear me." Temari muttered, smiling to herself. "I asked if they told you about your escort."

"My escort?"

"I'll take that as a no." Temari chuckled dryly, which didn't put Airi any more at ease. "Oh, the council members can be some real bastards when they put their minds to it. Expect you to show up to these things, but they don't tell you anything. Yes, you'll be escorted to the official ceremony, being an honoree and all."

"By whom?" Airi was almost afraid to ask. At best, this was both a curse and a blessing. At least this way, she might not make a fool of herself tripping all over the place during her entrance. However, if her escort wasn't aware of her handicap beforehand, he might not be all that helpful after all…

"By my brother, of course."

"Oh." All things considered, that really wasn't too terrible. Despite the fact that she and Kankuro had gotten off to a less than hospitable start, their relationship had been on an upward spiral from there.

"Oh? That's all you have to say?" The confusion was palpable in Temari's voice. "Well, I have to give you credit for taking it well. It's better than most people would do hearing only five minutes before that they were being escorted by the Kazekage himself."

Airi stumbled to a stop, clutching Temari's arm with an iron grip. "_What_?"

"Ah…" Temari said, her voice caught somewhere between being apologetic and trying not to laugh. "That's more like it. You thought I meant Kankuro, didn't you?"

Airi took a deep breath, squashing the sudden flock of butterflies that seemed to have been let loose in her gut. "I'll admit, I was under the impression that you meant your other brother, but I suppose this is to be expected. I am being honored for my service to him, aren't I?"

"Exactly." Temari said, patting her shoulder in a manner that was both mocking and consoling. "And you think you aren't strong? Ha. I don't know another girl in Suna who could handle that as well as you just did."

"Now…" Her voice lowered, and Airi was fairly certain they had reached a door. "Looks like it's show time. Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

Airi swallowed, making a final attempt to silence her panicking mind, which was screaming for any way out.

"I'll be fine."

* * *

_A/N: _Once again, I apologize for the late update, but I'm gonna try to get another one out this week. Time off is a lovely, lovely thing.

I think things are about to get quite interesting for Airi... suppose we'll just have to see how it goes? ^_^

Thank you so much for your reviews, alerts/fav adds... it warms my heart every time I see one.

- Senka


	26. Reunion

Airi passed through the door, into the outside, and it was as though she had suddenly entered a world entirely unfamiliar, one full of cacophony and chaos. She started to shrink back toward the safety of the building, but a hand caught her arm and held it firmly enough that she had no hope of escaping.

"Hope you weren't thinking about going anywhere." Temari's voice drawled mockingly somewhere near her, and Airi managed a weak smile.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Good."

With Temari's guidance, Airi navigated what sounded like bustling streets, winding in complicated patterns until Temari finally made her stop.

"You'll want to step up." She warned.

Airi was led up a series of steps that she was fairly certain were attached to a platform specially constructed just for the festival. Authoritative voices, most of them unfamiliar, directed the two of them to seats, an act that separated Airi from her temporary guide.

With a brief "good luck", Temari steered Airi toward a chair and then moved away to find her own seat, leaving Airi feeling more vulnerable than she ever had; even battle facing an unfamiliar enemy had never left her with this dry-mouthed, nauseating panic. Airi almost found herself wishing for something –_anything_— familiar, just for some little form of reassurance. Almost.

But as it stood, she couldn't afford to make herself look any weaker than she already had, so she kept to herself, already growing uneasy at the prospect of being awarded a commendation in front of the whole of the Five Nations, of all those eyes fixed on her while she could see none of them. Not to mention the thought of who would be escorting her to receive that commendation.

A voice very close to Airi's left ear startled her out of her thoughts. "Don't be nervous."

The close proximity of the unfamiliar voice almost caused Airi to fall right out of her chair, but fortunately she caught herself in time. The voice was bright and chipper, and Airi wondered vaguely how anyone could possibly sound like that in this kind of situation.

_Of course_, she supposed, _he probably isn't blind, or to the point of physical illness at the thought of all those people…_

"I'm not." She muttered gruffly, not at all sure that she liked the way this stranger was assessing her within moments of meeting her. Though, if she was supposedly this hero of Suna, maybe he _did _know more about her than she assumed… Regardless, the comment put her on edge, and she bit down hard on the inside of her lip, reminding herself that this was no time to be making enemies.

"Oh. Well, you looked like you were." He continued conversationally, as though the uneasiness in her voice had been completely lost on him. "Believe me, you can't be any worse off than I am. I'll bet you're just getting an award. I actually have to give a speech, and I'm really horrible at speaking, _dattebayo_."

Airi found herself smiling at the tic that ended his statement; it made him sound innocent, like a child. Before she even realized she had formed the words, a question slipped out.

"So if you're such a terrible speaker, why did they ask you to give a speech?"

"Dunno. Guess they think everybody wants to hear me or something." He responded, and she could practically hear the grin in his voice. Despite her discomfort, Airi felt herself wanting to smile as well. This man, whoever he was, spoke with such nonchalance that it practically radiated from him, and the knots in Airi's stomach were slowly beginning to untangle.

"Though," he added, his tone growing slightly more pensive, "from what I hear, Gaara's the one who should be giving the speeches."

For a moment, Airi was so shocked by the stranger's informal reference to the Kazekage that she failed to notice that someone else had begun speaking, responding to his statement from the seat at her other side.

"I am giving a speech, Naruto."

After the past few weeks, Airi wouldn't have surprised herself if she had bolted right then and there. Or, frozen in mortification, just not done anything at all. But in fact, Airi's reaction was the one she least expected. At the sound of Gaara's voice, so close and familiar, she found herself having to bite back a smile that was on the borderline of giddiness.

But then she caught the last part of his statement, and her head snapped back to the left, despite the fact that she couldn't see the stranger.

_Naruto… as in Uzumaki Naruto? The young man touted as the savior of the Five Nations?_ Airi hadn't heard much over the course of her weeks spent in isolation, but that was one detail she'd managed to pick up on. The Jinchuuriki who had single-handedly tried to save the world… and here he was, sitting right next to her, talking about how he was a terrible speaker.

"You're Uzumaki Naruto?"

"The one and only!" He exclaimed proudly.

"Gaara must not talk about me much…" Naruto added as an afterthought, sounding a bit deflated. "I'd have thought you'd have recognized me."

Airi bit her lip, hesitant to explain to him why, precisely, she couldn't have recognized him even if Gaara _had _spoken about him. She wondered if he would still speak to her so easily if he realized she was…

"Naruto…" Gaara started; Airi could have sworn she heard a slight edge to his voice, and the strange tone that sounded almost like suppressed indignation gave her the strength to cut him off.

"I can't see you, actually." She explained, waving a hand in front of her face. Only slight shadows passed across her sight spots. "Blind as a bat."

Airi heard a slight strangled noise from the seat to her right, and she wished more than ever that she could see the expression on Gaara's face. Fortunately, however, Naruto's response was quick enough to distract Airi from spending too much time wondering what that bitten-off noise might be about.

"Oh…" The syllable was drawn out, and Naruto stumbled over his next words. "I'm sorry, I didn't know…

"But wait!" He stopped for a moment, and a trace of excitement crept back into his voice. "That means you're Airi, _dattebayo_!"

Airi raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I am. Don't tell me my apparent fame has extended even past my own village…"

Naruto let out a hearty laugh, and Airi had to wonder what she had said that was so funny.

"Well, actually, I didn't have a clue who you were until someone connected the dots for me that the girl who saved the Kazekage's life and the Airi that I'd heard Gaara talking so much about were the same person. But I've certainly heard about you."

Airi had to work very hard to keep herself from gaping at him. The Kazekage had been… talking about her? She couldn't imagine the Kazekage talking "so much" about anyone. And to Uzumaki Naruto, no less! The thought filled her with all manner of overwhelming emotions, most of which were certainly not suited for this time and place.

"I didn't mean to insult you though, honest. I can be a little dense sometimes." Naruto continued, and Airi smiled, too fixated on the matter of the Kazekage to even worry about an errant comment at this point.

"Don't worry about it."

"_Naruto_!" A shrill, slightly angry feminine voice that Airi was sure she recognized called from the other side of the platform, and she heard the chair next to her creak.

"Uh-oh. Better go figure out what I've done to make Sakura-chan mad now. It was nice meeting you, Airi-chan!" Before Airi even got a chance to respond, she heard his footsteps recede across the platform, calling across to Sakura as he went. Airi realized why she'd recognized the voice. After spending so many days under Haruno-san's care, it was a wonder she hadn't picked up on it immediately.

She smiled at the thought of the straightforward, authoritative medic being friends with the easygoing Uzumaki boy. It certainly had to be an interesting relationship.

"He's… something else." Airi commented, half to herself, but the comment must have been loud enough for Gaara to hear, because she heard him snort softly.

"Yes, he certainly is."

Airi flushed, realizing that for the first time in ages, they were relatively alone. The last time they had talked… _really _talked had been that night when the chakra clones attacked. The night…

She swallowed, unsure of what she should even say to him. Her tongue felt like someone had tied it in some rather complicated knots without bothering to tell her how to untangle them.

The uncomfortable silence stretched for a few more minutes, though the air around them buzzed with conversation as the last preparations were made to start the ceremony. Finally, when Airi could no longer stand it, words burst out of her, breaking her tongue out of its invisible bindings.

"Kazekage-sama—"

"Airi, you look—"

Apparently, Gaara had chosen the same moment to say something more. Airi lost her train of thought entirely, her focus redirected to his unfinished statement.

You look… Awful? Exhausted? Like a completely different person?

_I feel like a completely different person,_ she thought wryly.

"What were you about to say?" She prompted.

"Nothing." His voice sounded almost… ashamed, and Airi resisted the urge to reach out and find his hand as she had done unthinkingly before. But now… there was distance and propriety between them, and she couldn't dare to breach that.

"You're making a speech?" She inquired softly, thinking that, at the very least, was a safe subject to broach.

"Just a short one." He confirmed. "Congratulating our shinobi on a war well-fought."

After a moment or two of thought, Airi heard him shift slightly, and he spoke again, only this time it was much more quietly.

"Naruto is right, you know."

"About what?"

"You look on edge."

Airi brushed a hand through her hair where it didn't need to be smoothed; the nervous gesture did not help her case at all.

"I'm… not." She repeated, but this time it was with far less conviction.

Airi's folded her hands neatly in her lap and after a minute or so of silence, she thought the subject had been successfully dropped.

But then, ever so gently, a hand clasped over hers and held it solidly. This time, she couldn't keep her mouth from dropping open just slightly.

"I won't let anything happen to you." He said, so quietly that she was sure only she could hear.

A few minutes passed, and the crowds began to quiet down as the ceremony was about to begin, but even when his hand dropped away from hers, Airi could still feel the warmth radiating up the length of her arm. Her rational mind was screaming in panic, running through all the ways that it could possibly go terribly wrong, but for now, for that one moment, Airi was able to quash them all with an overwhelming feeling of elation.

* * *

_A/N: I am a horrible,_ horrible_ updater. It has been far too long since I've published a chapter, but I just couldn't get this scene right! I think I probably rewrote it at least five times, and it's not even the most pivotal scene in the story. Goodness knows how many drafts that one will take..._

_Anywho, I hope you all haven't given up on the story despite my miserable lack of updates (though I suppose you haven't if you've read this far down the page, right?) and I hope you enjoyed their reunion. (Finally!) Rest assured, there will be some good Gaara-Airi interaction coming in the next few chapters as well._

_If you've celebrated holidays between now and the last time I published, I hope they were wonderful and that 2012 has been kind to you thus far. And, as always, thanks for reading!_

_- Senka Hitomi_


	27. Decisions Considered

Airi sat through the endless barrage of speeches, but she could barely focus on their content. Vague mentions of "the honor of the Shinobi nations" and the "sacrifice of the Villages" caught her attention on occasion, but she dismissed them just as quickly. Instead, her thoughts kept running between fear about being called for the commendation and an exhilarating sort of confusion over what had passed between the Kazekage and herself.

She did put her thoughts aside long enough to listen when Naruto gave his speech. It was by far the most entertaining, not only because of his frequent interjections of "-ttebayo", but also because he refused to stay on a linear track or adhere to any sense of order, rambling until he came to a breathless conclusion. Regardless, the assembled crowd cheered more for him than any of the previous speakers, and Airi found herself among them. When he took his seat again, she leaned over, a slight smile curving her lips.

"You lied to me."

"Hm?" The confusion in his voice was readily apparent.

"You said you were horrible at giving speeches. You lied."

Airi didn't have to see his face to know he was grinning.

"Thanks."

The Kazekage's speech was the final event before the actual festivities began. The crowd, though they were eager to celebrate, silenced quickly when he cleared his throat. The memory of Gaara's pre-war speech came unbidden to Airi's mind; it seemed so long ago now. She could still see it clearly: the awe on the faces of the Allied Shinobi Forces as they listened, utterly rapt; the way they had instantly rallied behind their leader after only a few short words.

And here he was again, but this time it was not as a young general poised on the brink of his first true war; it was as a triumphant commander, one who had led his people to victory despite overwhelming odds.

"On the eve of battle, I stood before the Allied Shinobi Forces, willing them to put aside their differences to fight an enemy that threatened the existence of our world. In only a short time, we have subdued that enemy and risen above the boundaries of individual nations to fight as shinobi, bringing peace to our world, for the sake of our families and friends.

"All have made sacrifices in this war. There are those that mourn even in this time of celebration. To those who have lost during the war, we offer our strength in this time of great difficulty. Even more, we offer our gratitude. Every lantern that you see lit here tonight is in honor of a fallen comrade.

"To those who have sacrificed and remain with us, we owe a debt that will never be fully repaid. Tonight, before the festivities begin, we wish to recognize those chosen by the councils of the Five Nations for their service, not merely to their own nation, but to the Shinobi World as a whole."

Airi heard the first few names, heard the cheers as he described their acts of bravery, but it was mostly lost on her as they all blurred into one unending string of heroics. Compared to those people, who had sacrificed practically everything, what had she really done? When she heard her name pass Gaara's lips, she was hesitant to stand.

A hand clasped around her arm and a light voice whispered "Don't be afraid. If I can make a speech, you can accept an award, _dattebayo_."

Airi smiled despite herself. His quiet reassurance offered a rare form of strength, and knowing that, Airi did something she had vowed she would never do following her injury.

"Can you help me?"

She heard the smile in his voice.

"It would be an honor."

Naruto led her to the front of the platform. Gaara waited to begin speaking again until she was standing before him.

"The council of Sunagakure wishes to honor Saito Airi for her selfless act of bravery. When Uchiha Madara's chakra clones invaded our camps, she immediately assessed the situation correctly and reacted quickly enough to save a life, at her own peril…"

He paused, and Airi felt her stomach clench. What was he waiting on?

"…_my_ life." Pain was palpable in his voice, and Airi found herself leaning more heavily on Naruto. She resisted the urge to bite her lip, but every fiber of her being prayed that this would soon be over and she could return to her seat.

"On behalf of the Five Nations, I present you with this commendation." For the second time that evening, the Kazekage took her hand, pressing the cold medal into her palm. His grip lingered just a moment longer than was required; over the cheer of the spectators, she barely made out his silent addition to the formal presentation.

"Your sacrifice is appreciated more than you know."

* * *

When the ceremony was finished, everyone was given free rein to enjoy the festivities, but Airi was at a loss. Naruto offered to escort her around for a while, but she politely refused, half-joking that she didn't think that anyone would take particularly kindly to her monopolizing the time of the Hero of the Five Nations.

Standing on the almost-empty platform, a feeling of vertigo enveloped her. Everyone would spend the night reveling in the joy of victory, returned to some sense of normality, but she remained in a world that was still largely unfamiliar.

"Airi…"

The voice made her heart jump into her throat. She had assumed the Kazekage would have left already, attending to some piece of business or another.

"May I…" He moved toward her, his footsteps echoing across the platform. "May I speak to you?"

"Of course, Kazekage-sama." The sound caught in her throat and came out hushed, the syllables breaking as she spoke.

"Could we walk though?" She gestured around her. "Being up here is making me a bit… dizzy."

"Certainly." His response was equally subdued, and she had to wonder why. Gone was the confident leader who had inspired an army mere months ago, replaced by… what?

"Do you…" He coughed nervously. "…need me to guide you?"

"I'd hate to inconvenience you…" Airi started to back away; she realized belatedly that doing so was a bad idea, but by that time she was already off balance and tumbling backwards…

…against a pair of arms that had moved immediately to support her.

"It's not an inconvenience."

Airi straightened herself back up, red blossoming across her face.

"If you insist."

Airi held out a hand, and Gaara guided it to his arm. Her fingers fit snugly in the crook of his elbow and she risked taking a step closer. She couldn't quite place it, but something about being on his arm felt… _right. _Comfortable, even.

He guided her down the steps and into the thoroughfare; as the crowds got heavier, Airi found herself gripping his arm more tightly than she probably should, but he didn't seem to take any offense, if he even noticed at all. A few murmurs of interest met her ears, but she brushed them off as best she could. They could say what they wanted—nothing would come of it.

They were well into the crowd before Gaara spoke again.

"Perhaps you do not want to discuss it… and I understand that you have only had a few days to consider it…"

Airi anticipated his question before he voiced it. "You want to know what my decision will be. Whether I decide to continue as a shinobi or…"

The silence said enough. Her grip on his arm slackened slightly and her steps almost slowed to a halt.

She hadn't even wanted to think about it, despite the fact that it was practically the only thing that occupied her thoughts recently. It invaded almost every waking moment, and raged with reckless abandon through her dreams.

"I don't know." She answered honestly.

"But your first inclination?" He pressed, and she was surprised to note the insistence that had crept into his voice. What was he driving at?

"My first inclination is to…" Airi fumbled for an answer, but none came easily. This was the same question she'd been asking herself for days, to no avail. If the problem had been anything other than her eyesight, her immediate answer would have been to do what she loved best, which was being a shinobi of Suna, and even with that limitation…

"Of course I want to continue my life as a shinobi." She said matter-of-factly. She felt the muscles of Gaara's arm relax slightly under her grip, only then realizing that they had been tensed. "However…"

He stopped, and the unexpected force of it caused her to stumble slightly, but a hand found hers and steadied her.

Even in the cacophony of the surrounding crowds, she could hear his quiet intake of breath, as though he were steeling himself to face some impossible obstacle. When he finally released it, the words that came from his mouth were not at all the ones she had been expecting.

"I apologize. I was wrong to bring this up."

"No, you weren't." The words sprang from Airi's mouth more quickly than she was able to stop them. "It's something that I have to consider. But maybe…"

She gestured to the masses around them; though she couldn't see them, the noise of celebration grew with every step they took, and she could feel the press of the crowd. Talking to Gaara made her nervous enough and she had never been particularly good around large groups of people; this simply compounded her discomfort.

"Maybe now isn't the best time. You deserve to enjoy this celebration just as much as the rest of the Shinobi world. I shouldn't keep you from it." The excuse pained her, but it was true enough. A strange sort of guilt had been nagging at her since the moment they left the platform. She didn't deserve to be monopolizing his time.

The hand still clasped around hers tightened its grip.

"You're not keeping me from anything."

Airi had a difficult time biting back a smile.

"But you are right – this is not the best place to discuss your decision." He began to move again, and Airi had no choice but to follow, albeit with some hesitance.

"I think I know of somewhere better."

* * *

_A/N: So sorry for the delay. I have no good excuses, so I won't attempt to give them._

_Hope you all enjoy and leave your thoughts, if you'd be so kind. (Also, if you spot any errors in this chapter, feel free to let me know in your review. I tried to proofread as closely as I could, but I often make errors, and would like to correct them if they exist.)_

_- Senka_


	28. Like the Sand

The Kazekage seemed to be leading her in circles, but Airi found herself strangely unconcerned. In the rush to get to wherever they were going, her hand had slid from the crook of his elbow to press snugly against his palms, her fingers curled in a death grip so as not to lose him. Gaara, for his part, made no protest. Occasionally, she could feel a slight tremor that ran all the way down his arm to his hand, and she wondered what it was. Fear? Nervousness? Or something altogether more subtle? She was struggling to control the shaking in her own hands, but the cause was one she knew. She ached to say something, but she knew now wasn't the time – and perhaps there would never be one. Regardless, she kept quiet as he led her through crowds and up flights of stairs, his presence beside her constant.

After seemingly an eternity, they came to a stop. The first thing that Airi became aware of was how subdued the sound of festivities had become. She could still hear the revelry, but it was blended and distant, as though she was hearing it from far away.

She couldn't control her curiosity. "Where are we?

She heard the breath he took before he answered. It was a labored one, as though it almost pained him.

"It's a rooftop." He replied slowly. "The house has been abandoned for quite some time. The former occupants were… dissuaded from returning after an incident occurred near here involving two shinobi destroyed by the Beast of Suna."

The agony in his voice was palpable. While Airi had heard the term many times before, never had she heard it come from Gaara himself. It pained her more than she had ever anticipated.

"I am not proud of the things I did… when I was a child. I was a very different person then –" He stopped himself. "—I was the demon they said I was.

"Even now, it is difficult to separate myself from those memories. I do not think it is possible to forget what it is like to kill a man in cold blood, to have the power to sever a life with less than a snap of your fingers."

A chill ghosted over Airi's skin. As a child, she had been fearless in the matter of the Demon of Suna, brave and reckless as only a young person can be. She was the child who had cried over the broken boy, not fully understanding, but now, for the first time, she truly saw the beast along with the man, saw the toll it had taken from him. For the first time, she felt the fear that everyone else had.

And yet… despite everything, she was still seized by the crippling urge to go to him. It took every ounce of her strength to suppress it.

"But I _am_ changed. I have expressed to you the extent to which I care for this nation and its people. Had it been required of me, I would have given my life."

At this, he paused, and Airi felt the air around her shift. In the course of his speech, he had moved away from her slightly, but she could feel his presence getting nearer. There was no way to confirm it aside from a slight blur of green in her sight spots, but she could have sworn she felt his gaze as it trained on her face.

"But you… whether or not that was the case, you prevented it. Disregarding yourself completely, you were willing to jump in front of a blade.

"Airi, I know what it is to be haunted – and that image has haunted me since the day it occurred."

Airi didn't know how to process the remark. She stumbled for words, but they wouldn't come. Her tongue moved lamely, and she was certain she resembled nothing more than a gaping fish at that very moment.

Apparently noticing her inability to form a response, Gaara continued.

"Why?"

This time, the response was not slow in coming. The words had been bubbling in Airi's consciousness for so long that all she had to do was breathe them out, as easily as releasing a stream of air.

"I would have been more than glad to die for you. Happily, gladly, no blame to be given. Losing my sight is nothing if it means you were unharmed. The shinobi of Suna… we're like the sand. Sometimes we are hard as the rocks, other times we are fragile and brittle. We compose the village, yes, but we shift and move and fall away, and the landscape is barely changed. We're moved by the wind, subject to its whims. But you… you've never been something so insignificant. You're the best hope our village has, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I could have prevented that and didn't. Gaara-sama, I know I've said so before, but you've united our village in a way that your father was never able to, and these people don't just respect you, they _love _you. I…"

She caught herself there; before the words tumbled over her lips, she caught and swallowed them, lapsing into pregnant silence.

"You?"

Airi shook her head, frazzled. What was happening? Hadn't this started as a simple conversation about the future of her career as a shinobi? Not that that was simple by any means, but when had this gotten to the point that she had almost let herself confess to the Kazekage of Sunagakure that she was _in love _with him?

Searching for any escape she could find, Airi turned the conversation back on him.

"Y-you… you said you were haunted by that. Why? Why would it matter? I was your bodyguard, you knew I had the potential to die."

That had not at all been the manner in which she had intended to put the question, but it was valid nonetheless. As the Kazekage, he had a right to be concerned about all of his citizens, but he knew her responsibilities as well as she did.

He was silent for a moment.

"The incident that I spoke of earlier… I am sure you recall it. Three men, disappeared in an instant, and no one would speak of it for weeks after."

The description triggered a pang of familiarity in Airi's mind, but she couldn't quite place it, so she continued to listen.

"I do not remember much of the event. Shukaku had consumed too much of my mind, but I remember the aftermath. I remember barely clinging to consciousness, knowing that something had gone horribly wrong, and I remember… rain.

"For years, I could not understand why. There is rarely rain in the desert, and there was certainly none then."

"Tears." Airi muttered.

"What?"

"Tears," she said slightly louder. The memory was now stark – she could see the blood, see the boy shivering on the tile as she unthinkingly moved to sit beside him.

"Yes." He said evenly, but there was a hint of surprise in his voice. "Someone was crying. Why, I don't know, but I think… perhaps they understood that I was more than merely a monster, even if I could not be contained."

Airi couldn't speak, only nodded. Regardless of whether he knew, she wouldn't tell him now. It was no longer important.

"It is strange, to think that someone would cry for a monster. It is stranger still to think that someone would give their life for someone who has committed so many crimes, so many unspeakable acts."

"But that's not the point!" Airi shouted, hastily clamping her hands over mouth.

She heard Gaara sigh.

"You wanted to know why."

"I did." She answered quietly.

"Because you never feared." For a moment, she thought he was going to expand the explanation, but after it hung in the air for a few moments, she realized that it was all that was necessary.

"You were never just a vessel." She explained quietly.

She wasn't sure what kind of reaction she was expecting, but whatever the expectation, it was not the one she received. She heard a kind of burbled sound, like a suppressed laugh or cough, and she heard him shift.

A hand pressed tentatively across her cheek, and she felt his thumb, utterly uncalloused, trace a line underneath her eye.

"It has not improved, has it?" He murmured quietly.

Airi almost didn't process the question, too consumed by the caress of his hand against her cheek, and she had to quell the fire that was scorching from her gut up into her throat.

"N-no." She stuttered belatedly.

His hand dropped and she released the shiver that she had been holding in. She listened closely to his movements. He took a few steps away, and with each receding footstep, her heart sunk a little more. He had no idea the torture he was putting her through just by his proximity, and she had no right to tell him.

But then, he turned and out of his lips came the strangest statement she would ever hear him utter, the one that if she had been given a thousand guesses, she would never have chosen. His voice was gentle, but the slight edge of desperation was startlingly clear.

"Please stay."

* * *

_A/N: Hey, look, Senka's still alive! Crazy, I know. _

_Thank you all for being so patient. Considering that this is my oldest story as far as concepts go, you all have been so wonderful to stay with it for this long and wait for my sporadic updates. It made me immensely happy the other day when I got two "Story Alerts" for this work in one day, despite the fact that I hadn't updated in months. I probably wouldn't have kept this going as long as I have if it wasn't for you all. You encourage me to continue, and for that I am immeasurably grateful._

_As you can probably surmise, this story is rapidly nearing its conclusion. A few more chapters, and I hope to be finished! I will try to be prompt with the next few, and once again, thank you for reading/reviewing/faving/being wonderful in general. _

_- Senka Hitomi_


	29. Confessions

"W-what?"

She cursed herself inwardly for stuttering, but in her shock, it was a miracle she had managed to produce any sound whatsoever.

"I know you have put much consideration into your situation." He hesitated, and Airi heard him move farther away.

Impatience gnawed at her gut, and above all, she wished he would just stop dancing around the subject and say what he meant. Why did he want her to stay? Why, when she was so utterly useless to him now?

"And as the Kazekage… and as your friend… I should not interfere. Rationally, I know that you should choose that which is best for you. I would not blame you if you took the Council's offer to return to civilian life."

"But…?" She supplied, hearing the contradiction in his voice before he spoke it.

"But… I would miss you."

Airi felt dizzy, a condition that wasn't helped by her lack of sight. She reached out to steady herself, but finding nothing, she panicked.

He was next to her in an instant, faster than she could even comprehend, and suddenly he was steadying her, his hand against her arm. She could feel the blood rising to her cheeks.

"Airi?"

"I'm fine." She choked out, but in truth, she was anything but. Elation and anxiety warred in her gut, threatening to make her sick.

"Gaara-sama… what exactly do you mean?"

He cleared his throat, and she felt his grip on her arm slacken just slightly.

"I mean that I would miss you, if you chose to leave the shinobi lifestyle behind. I told you that I have been haunted by your injury… and I'm only just now beginning to understand why."

Tentatively, a hand pressed against her cheek.

"I cannot pretend to fully understand what it is like to love someone. I spent years without even the love of a family, and I once thought I could only love myself. But I am not the monster I once was, thanks to a great many people. You say the people of this village love me, but I owe them a debt I could never repay. They chose to reconsider, even after knowing me as a monster.

"And I owe you a debt as well. I admit I am also not well-versed with experiencing fear. Someone once taught me that you should live to protect those you love, and when you were injured, I was unable to do that."

He paused, and the silence hung heavily between them. Airi's gut twisted. He spoke of love, but it was still too much to hope that perhaps…

"I never want to feel that way again, to feel so utterly powerless to protect someone precious to me. I would rather die than see you in such pain, knowing I could have prevented it. I know it was your duty as a shinobi, and I know you volunteered for the risks that go along with it, but I cannot help but feel responsible for your injuries… for what resulted."

"Gaara-sama…" Airi could no longer control the erratic pumping of her heart in her chest. With every word, it felt less like reality and more like a dream – only the pressure of his hand on her cheek made it real.

"And now, I do not think I could bear for you to leave, knowing what I've done, or what I failed to do."

Airi was beyond the point of shock. Her whole body felt numb.

"Is that truly what you want?"

"What?"

"For me to remain with you." Airi's voice shook as the words left her mouth, every piece of her yearning for him to truly confirm it.

"More than anything."

The words broke a dam within her, fully unleashing the torrent of emotion at war within her. All at once, she was smiling like an idiot, while tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, pattering onto his hand.

She laughed, swiping uselessly at the tears.

"Are you… upset?"

At that moment, she wished more than anything she could have seen the expression on his face. His tone was one of pure confusion, and it only made her laugh all the harder.

"No! Not at all." She managed to get out between chuckles. "I'm…"

Airi brought her hand up to clasp around his, slowly, tentatively.

"I love you. I'm an idiot and I've known it for a long time, but when is a good time to tell the Kazekage that you're head over heels for him, especially after you've lost your sight and are completely uselmmph—"

The last part of her statement never made it past her lips, because at that moment, he kissed her, effectively stopping her babbling.

Airi had never been so happy to be cut off.


	30. The Next Step

The morning broke clear over Sunagakure, painting the sand gold as the sunlight filtered over the horizon. For the most part, people had not yet woken, but a few early risers wandered the streets, enjoying the rare respite from the heat. The village seemed a little larger these days, a little quieter, but for the most part, people didn't notice, merely filled the holes with the comfort of everyday life. It wasn't always effective, but it staved off the worst of their grief.

Among the wakeful few, one figure stared out the window of the office in the center of the city, his pale hands resting lightly on the sill. He watched as a couple passed by in the street below, caught up in a quiet conversation. They stopped for a moment, then passed out of sight. The Kazekage watched, but he didn't really see them; as usual, his thoughts were far away.

For once, his desk was not covered in petitions and mission files. It was strange, he thought, to be able to see the surface of the desk. He ran his fingers absently across it. Soon enough, it would be back to normal, but not today. Today, he had a different obligation.

A light tap on the door brought him away from his thoughts.

"Come in."

His brother's familiar face poked around the door.

"You ready?"

Gaara glanced over his shoulder one last time. The village remained silent.

"I believe I am."

* * *

Airi took a deep breath, and stood up. Her chair scraped against the floor, its echo magnified by the enormous council chamber.

"Are you ready to deliver your response, Saito-san?"

With only the slightest hesitation, she nodded.

"I am."

"Proceed," instructed the droning voice of the head councilman.

"I appreciate the time the council has given me," she began, "because I cannot say this has been a simple process of deliberation. But, after some serious consideration, I know that there is only one decision I can possibly make."

When they had first presented her with the options, it had seemed like she would never be able to make the decision. With her eyes the way they were, returning to life as a shinobi was akin to suicide. Still, living as a shinobi was the only life she'd ever known. To run away from that was… well, unthinkable.

Yet she'd agonized over it nonetheless. Night after night, she had lain awake into the wee hours of the morning, picturing her life as a civilian. How nice it would be not to have to fight, to just be recognized as a hero. To have no obligations.

The thought had lodged itself in her skull, stuck sourly in her throat until it was the only thing she could think about. Every conversation she'd had, few and far between as they were, danced around the subject of her decision. Every waking moment seemed to be spent obsessing over one tiny decision – the tiny decision that would determine the course of the rest of her life.

But now, it was abundantly clear what she had to do. If nothing else, her conversation with the Kazekage – with _Gaara_ – had shown her exactly what needed to be done.

In the flurry of emotions that had run through her head during their conversation on the rooftop, it was a wonder she had even had any room left to consider the matter. After she'd gotten over the initial shock of Gaara returning her feelings, it had been difficult to feel anything other than pure elation. But in the interim, she'd had time to consider his words, and it had led her to one stark realization:

There was someone out there who was willing to risk everything for her.

After that, the decision had been simple.

The silence in the room was deafening. A whole room full of eyes peered down at her, including a pair of bright green orbs belonging to a certain Kazekage, who she'd not yet informed of her decision.

She cleared her throat.

"I wish to continue training to overcome my disability, and be reinstated as a shinobi of Suna."

Airi let out a heavy breath, glad to finally have the words off her chest. Despite the fact that they were inside, she felt a breeze tickle the hair around her ear.

A murmur of interest ran through the council, but it was quickly silenced.

"Are you quite certain?" the droning voice sounded, if not openly shocked, at least mildly surprised.

She smiled gently.

"Absolutely."

* * *

Airi leaned against the railings of the outer deck of the council building, letting the desert breeze wash over her in waves. It was the middle of the day and the sun was blazing down at full strength, but she didn't mind. She reveled in the warmth of it, feeling strangely free.

After they had adjourned, she had heard one of the council members make a quiet remark about her decision to "shackle herself to a life of hardship," but Airi couldn't say she agreed with the woman. Perhaps, it was hardship to some, but to her, it was freedom. Freedom to fight for her nation, freedom to make her own decisions.

Footsteps sounded quietly behind her, and she smiled.

Freedom to protect the ones she loved.

"You're late," she remarked, not turning around.

She was answered by a soft snort.

"Strangely, the council members were less than willing to let the Kazekage simply slip away without a few words."

Abruptly changing tones, Gaara moved to stand next to her, his shoulder hovering less than a centimeter from hers.

"You chose not to inform me."

Airi turned slightly, wishing for the thousandth time she could see the expression on his face. Though, with his usually-cryptic features, it likely wouldn't have done her any good.

"I hope you're not angry. I just…" she trailed off.

"I understand."

"So?"

She left the question hanging, almost afraid of the answer. He, of all people, should have been able to understand her decision. She had people she needed to protect – not only him, but her sisters and her friends – and this was the only way to do it. It might be dangerous, but it was necessary. She had run in the past, but it was time to stop running.

A hand slid around her waist, pulling her closer.

"I'm glad you did what you thought best."

Airi felt a swell of pleasure rise through her chest.

"And that I decided to stay close to you?"

Gaara gave a casual shrug, but she was almost certain she could hear a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

"That as well."

Airi could almost see him then, in her mind's eye, as he leaned over to kiss her and then turned to look out at the village, at the expanse of brown buildings stretching as far as the eye could see, until they melted off into the sand of the desert, shimmering into mere mirages in the midday sun. She could almost see him, with hair red as blood and those pale green eyes, the ones that had once held a monster, and now held the future of an entire village in their depths.

And she smiled as she squeezed his hand, the one that would help lead her – and all of Suna – onto a brighter path.

* * *

_A/N: This honestly feels so surreal. I can't believe I'm actually done with this story. I would say a little more on my author's note, but if I did that, I'd probably end up going on longer than the actual chapter. If you're interested in my concluding thoughts, you can read them on my tumblr, senkahitomi. It's posted under "A Few Ending Thoughts." Thank you all so much for taking this journey with me, and I really, really hope you enjoyed the end. _


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